The Other Side
by HosekiDragon
Summary: X-over. A summer at Khaos Corporation, the makers of Chaotic? Tom and Kaz couldn't ask for a better vacation! But is everything as safe and sound at the company as everyone's making it out to be...or is darkness lurking just around the corner?
1. Murphy's Law

I've been jumping through Chaotic fan fiction ideas like there's no tomorrow and, after much contemplation, I've finally settled on this one. Note that, yes, it is a cross-over…but I'm not going to tell you with what yet! Mwahahahaha!

Disclaimer: I do not own Chaotic  


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**1: Murphy's Law

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**

"_Computers make very fast, very accurate mistakes." –Anonymous

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_

"One hour, one more hour!" Tom Majors hissed under his breath, tapping his foot as he eyes flickered towards the clock hanging on the wall, "One more hour and we're free!"

"Tom, that's what you've been saying _all day_!" Tom's best friend Khristopher; better known as Kaz; Kalinkas whispered backed, pushing his magenta tinted glass up his nose, "The only thing that's changed about it is the number before the word 'hour.'"

"Well, geez, Kaz" Tom stopped his insistent foot-tapping and leaned forward, resting his arms on his legs, "What're you so grouchy about? It's almost summer vacation!"

"Yeah, well, summer vacation's going to be as boring as Algebra." Kaz replied sullenly, "My parents are planning on a cruise and I'm going to be dropped off with my grandparents on the East Coast. And my grandparents hate me." The boy scowled across the gym at the Juniors on the opposite bleachers, all screaming and shouting. It was a rally, of sorts, for the last day of school. Kaz and Tom's last day as Freshmen.

"Darn, so much for my plan of getting out of the house for the summer. Now I haven't got an excuse to get away from my mom." Tom's mood was dampened as well and he dropped his chin into his hands, frowning.

While Kaz's parents had enough money to live at the high rise end of the neighborhood and afford several luxuries most people would love to have, Tom's life was a little different. His parents were divorced, his dad having moved out when Tom was still little, and that left him alone in the house with his mother. Tom had grown up with tears, screams, and loneliness, his mother was rarely there for him and now that he was older he tried to stay out of her sight as much as possible. She'd told him he looked too much like his father. Tom's often cocky-to-sour attitude was a result of his childhood.

"Well, look at it this way," Kaz made a valiant effort to cheer his best and only friend up, "It couldn't possibly get any worse that it already is. At least we can still see each other in Chaotic." He patted his pants pocket, grinning.

Tom grinned too, putting his own hand protectively over the pocket of his jeans where his Code Scanner rested, "Then again," He said, "As Peyton would say 'famous last words, bro!'"

Both boys howled with laughter.

* * *

As soon as they were two blocks from the school, both boys yanked out their Code Scanners. It had become a sort of ritual; after school, on the walk home, as soon they were two blocks away, they pulled out the Scanners and ported to Chaotic.

This time, however, there was no confirmation that their code was in Chaotic. Their scanners lay, dead, in their hands, not responding. Kaz repeatedly punched the button on his red device, brow furrowing. Still nothing.

"Aw, man, no way, I jinxed us." He muttered, looking at Tom. Their expressions were identical; horror-struck.

"This _sucks_!" Tom's horror was quickly replaced by his temper and he shoved his Code Scanner away into his bag, cheeks flushing, "This just plain _sucks_!" And he stomped the rest of the way to his house, Kaz lagging behind with a pale face and blank expression. Neither of them said anything to one another as they parted.

Summer dreams, ripped at the seams…

Kaz dragged himself up his walk, only pausing to pull the mail out of the mailbox, and through the front door of his house. There, he kicked off his shoes, dropped his bag on the floor, and walked into the kitchen where he carelessly tossed the mail on the table and made a bee-line for the fridge.

"Kazdan?" His mother trailed in, covered in flour. He hadn't even noticed the mess on the counter by the sink, "What's wrong, Kazdan? It's the last day of school, you should be ecstatic."

"Hmph." Kaz snorted in reply, pulling out a soda can and popping it open to take a gulp. He wandered out of the kitchen and started heading towards the stairs and his attic bedroom.

"Kazdan, there's a letter for you!"

Rolling his eyes, the boy ducked back into the kitchen, snatched the envelope from his mother's hands, and went up the stairs as fast as he could without spilling his soda. Once there, he shut the door and carelessly tossed the letter onto his desk beside his laptop, sank onto the bottom bunk of his bunk bed, and sulked, soda can clenched in his fingers.

It wasn't fair. What logical reason was there for his—not to mention Tom's—Scanner to quit working? A bolt from the blue. A big, fat, stinking lightning bolt that ruined their summer. How stupid. How lame. How cruel. How inexplicably _unfair_.

Kaz jumped, sloshing soda onto his lap, as the phone in his room started ringing. It was a private phone with its own number that only a few people knew. Kaz set his half-empty can on the bedside stand and half walked, half shuffled over to the phone. His pants were soaked.

"'Lo?"

"_KAZ!"_

Kaz whipped the phone away from his ear on instinct, halfway through taking off his soda-soaked pants. He could barely hear Tom's voice ranting through the other end of the phone. Then there was a silence and he brought the phone back.

"Geez, Tom, are you _trying_ to blow my eardrums out?"

"_Kaz, Kaz, did you get a letter!? In the mail!?"_ Tom was talking very quickly and in a very excited tone of voice, _"Did you get a metter in the lail!? I mean, a letter in the mail!?"_

"Slow down before you hyperventilate!" Kaz tossed his wet pants in the laundry basket by his door and started tugging on a pair of worn out pajama bottoms, "Yeah, I got a letter in the mail. What of it?"

"_Did you look at it!? Did you open it!?"_

"No, why?"

"_Open it! Quick open it! You're never gonna _believe_ what it says!"_

Kaz sighed, letting Tom know he was annoyed with him, propped the phone between his ear and his shoulder, and slit the letter open, eyes scanning the typed words on the heavy paper in his hands. The phone thudded to the carpeted floor.

**To Kazdan Kalinkas:**

**First, a congratulations are in order. Well done on all your victories within Chaotic and may skill and luck continue to persist in your battles. Secondly, it is our sincere hope that you will accept the offer that is to follow. **

**Chaotic was a product of several minds of genius and wild imagination, as I'm sure you know. It has been active across the globe for over four years now and its popularity has not dwindled. However, nor has it risen. In an attempt to draw in a larger audience to share this wonderful world, we decided we needed fresh, new, imaginative minds. **

**In short, we humbly request that you come visit Khaos Corporation and stay for your summer holiday at our facility. You will be treated as an honored guest with a fully equipped luxury cabin, tours of the company buildings, and, of course, a number of free and rare scans. **

**If you accept our offer, please send a reply via e-mail with the address on the bottom of this letter. If you do not accept, please reply accordingly. **

**Our sincerest hopes that you'll visit, **

_**The Khaos Corporation Brothers**_

And following it was an e-mail address.

Kaz felt his jaw drop, was aware that Tom was shouting at him over the phone that still lay on the floor, was aware that the paper had drifted from his immobile fingers. But nothing stuck. He couldn't process it. It wasn't possible. He was dreaming. It was a joke. Yeah, that was it. A joke. Kaz snatched the phone off the floor.

"—_can't believe this! Can you believe this!? It's incredible! I mean—!"_

"Tom, shut up for minute! What if this is a joke!" Silence on the other end of the line, "Think about it! First our Code Scanners stop working and now we get these letters that are _supposedly_ from Khaos Corp! What if it's a hoax!?"

"_You really think it's a joke, Kaz?"_ Tom sound disappointed but then so was Kaz, _"The only possible way for someone to shut off our Code Scanners would be from the Khaos Corporation building, right? So it _must _be true!"_

"Hmmm…" Kaz mulled it over in his head, bending over to pick up the letter that he'd dropped and letting his eyes sweep over it once more, "Well, I guess…"

"_Admit it, Kaz, you want it to be true just as much as I do. If not more so."_

Kaz couldn't help but smile, "Alright, you got me. I do want it to be true. So, here's the deal, we e-mail them back, pack, and—."

"_Don't say it."_ Tom said sourly, _"I don't need to. She'll love the chance to kick me out of the house."_

Kaz wished he hadn't even thought about it, "Call you in a bit then?"

"_In a bit."_ Tom agreed and hung up. Kaz set the phone back on the hook, plopped in front of his laptop and powered it up, stretching as it loaded. Summer was looking to be alright. No, that was definitely an understatement, summer was going to awesome.

* * *

"Mom?" It was later in the evening and the Kalinkas family was sitting down for supper. Kaz was busy trying to cut through his steak at the moment.

"Yes?"

"Um…that letter I got in the mail…it was from Khaos Corporation. You know, the company that makes Chaotic?" His mother didn't respond, still waiting, and Kaz gulped continuing, "W-well, they invited me to stay at their facility for the summer and tour it and…stuff." He finished lamely, "So, you wouldn't have to send me to Grandma and Grandpa's."

"Well, it'd make my parents happy," His father stated, tapping his fork against the side of his plate, "They were planning a trip to Las Vegas."

"They don't like me anyway" Kaz said and then bit his lip. That might have been crossing the line.

"Kazdan!" Oh yeah, that was crossing the line.

"Well they don't, Marietta." His father muttered.

"Nathaniel!"

Both Kaz and his father looked shamefaced at their plates while they got a scornful stare from Marietta Kalinkas. After a few moments, she dropped her gaze and Kaz chanced a glance at her.

"So…um…can I go? Tom's going too."

His mother pursed her lips like she always did when she was thinking hard about something. No doubt she was evaluating his school year and the mid terms. Kaz had nothing to worry about; he was smart, close to genius, and passed almost all his classes with A's.

"What do you think, Nathaniel?"

Kaz looked at his father pleadingly. The man sighed as he ran a hand through his fading red hair and looked from his son to his wife. Then he leaned forward, "Well, I think Kaz has earned this. He's through with his Freshman year of school, which he passed with flying colors, he's been quite good about keeping his room clean and getting his chores done, and he hasn't been to the hospital at all this year."

Kaz's face flushed with pride at the first couple of compliments but then went sheet white. His dad just _had_ to mention it! He just had to! Kaz slumped in his seat, figuring there was no way he was going to go to Khaos Corporation even though they probably had a medical area right there.

Kaz had been born with an over reactive panic attack system, so to speak. Whenever he got really scared or upset he'd faint or sometimes get a little woozy in the head. But there where sometimes when he'd get a flood of adrenaline so large he couldn't handle it and would go into a full blown panic attack. He'd ended up in the hospital twice because of that. The first time he'd had an attack, when he was seven and they'd still lived in the city just outside Chicago, he'd almost been hit by a car. The second time was after they'd moved into this small town, when he and Tom were both ten and they'd been playing at the park when Kaz had fallen from the domed monkey bars straight to the ground and broken his leg. The shock and pain had been the trigger. Kaz's attack scared Tom so badly that he wouldn't talk to Kaz for three days.

"I suppose it's alright," His mother's voice cut into his thoughts, "As long as he's responsible enough to—."

"Thank you!" Kaz shouted, pumping his fists into the air, "Thank you _so_ much! Yes! Wait until I tell Tom!"

And without a backwards glance at his half-eaten food, Kaz jumped out of his seat, dashed from the room, flew up the stairs, and vanished into his room before his mother could shout at him to come back down and finish his supper.

* * *

Ha, ha! First chapter finished! So right there you have it. The stage is set and now it's time to get things rolling. I haven't quite decided if I'm going to have Peyton and Sarah show up in this yet. Hey, maybe I'll need some fluff and put them in there somehow. (shrugs)

So anyway, thank you for reading and stick around for another chapter! Toodles!


	2. Khaos Corporation

Aaaaannnnnndddd, I'm back! Physically, yes. Mentally…um…if you see my brain give me a shout. Ahahaha…

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**2: Khaos Corporation

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**

"_Flying is not inherently dangerous; crashing is." –Anonymous

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_

"You know what I've decided," Tom grumbled after getting knocked out of the way by some crazy tourists for about the tenth time.

"What've you decided Tom?" Kaz asked, knowing what was coming.

"I've decided I hate airports."

Both boys were making their way to the terminal, a week after they'd gotten their letters from Khaos Corporation. Their tickets had arrived in the mail (causing much screaming and whooping on Kaz's part) and they'd loaded their luggage into the back of the Kalinkas' minivan to be driven to the airport by Kaz's dad. It was a pleasant ride, both boys joking and laughing and attempting to sing along with every radio song that came on even if they didn't know it.

The airport was a completely different story. People were _everywhere_ and all of them were rushing around with bulging bags and screaming children. Kaz felt a headache throbbing in temple and groaned right along with his best friend.

"We're never going to find the terminal," Tom was muttering, "We're never going to get to the plane, and we're never going to get to Khaos Corporation!"

"Pessimist." Kaz coughed under his breath but was thinking something along the same lines. His shoulders were starting to ache from hauling his backpack on one shoulder and dragging his wheeled suitcase along behind him.

"Alright, I take it back." Tom dropped his bags beside a row of plastic chairs and fell into one with a heavy sigh, "We found the terminal."

Kaz followed suit, rolling his shoulders and cracking his neck, "What a relief. I thought I was going to punch the next person who ran into me." Tom raised an eyebrow skeptically, "Alright, I probably wouldn't have done that but—."

"_Flight 305 is ready to board. Flight 305 is now ready for boarding. Please proceed to the gate with your tickets ready. Flight 305 is ready to board."_

"That's us…!" Kaz leapt up excitedly, jumping from one foot to the other as he gathered up his things and pulled out his ticket, "That's us, Tom, that's us! We're going! We're really going! This is so awesome!"

"Totally!" Tom agreed, unable to stop grinning, "This is going to be the coolest thing _ever_! Our summer is going to beat all summers there ever was! Wait until we tell all the kids at school we got to go to Khaos Corporation!"

Kaz laughed jubilantly, almost bouncing forward in the line, glasses slipping farther and farther down his nose as he went.

* * *

They'd stopped at another airport later that evening to change planes and were now flying through an abyss of black, pinpoints of white stars flickering every so often through the tiny, round windows of the plane.

Kaz was fast asleep in the seat across the aisle from Tom, head lolled back against the seat, a pillow squished in his arms like a teddy bear, and his glasses safely in their case and tucked into the pocket in front of him. The young man beside him didn't seem to mind that there was a fifteen year old boy next to him how would let out a periodic snort every so often. Tom smiled to himself and went back to his Code Scanner. He never could sleep in vehicles.

The smile disappeared into a frown as he jabbed at the buttons repeatedly but to no avail. There was no way he was getting into Chaotic. With a weary sigh, Tom stowed the device away in his pockets and leaned his head back against the seat, letting his eyes wander across the ceiling of the plane. It all seemed surreal somehow, like a good dream that was vivid no matter what. Summer vacation…Khaos Corporation…all of it. He couldn't stop the grin that spread across his features and shifted in his seat, closing his eyes.

He could at least _try_ to fall asleep.

* * *

The sun was just starting to peek over the horizon when the plane landed. The light was dusky, dim, smearing everything into duller shades of color and sometimes almost grays. Kaz yawned loudly as he and Tom stumbled down the front steps of the airport, hauling their luggage behind them.

"I'm so stiff…" The bespectacled boy moaned, arching his spine so that it popped, "Remind me not to fall asleep on airplanes anymore, Tom."

"Right." Tom replied wearily, "And you'll have to teach me how to fall asleep in the first place. I spent the whole plane ride trying to learn to sing the alphabet backwards."

"Did it work?"

"No. I can't get past X."

The two friends looked at each other for a moment and then started laughing, walking down the sidewalk in front of the glass double doors to get out of the way. Tom suddenly stopped with a worried and confused expression on his face. Kaz paused beside him.

"What's up, Tom?"

"Do we…get a ride to Khaos Corp?" Tom ran his fingers through his black hair, "I mean, we don't exactly know where it is, right, so how're we supposed to get there?"

"Um…in that?" Kaz muttered, pointing wide-eyed to the black limo parked on the curb. Painted on the side was the familiar Chaotic symbol and standing just to the right of the front tire was a tall man in a red-trimmed black suit with short curly auburn hair and large hazel eyes. He was holding a white sign with the names "Kalinkas/Majors" written on it in black ink. Both boys edged forward warily and those hazel eyes snapped to them immediately.

"Kazdan Kalinkas and Thomas Majors?" The man's voice was medium, light, friendly and the boys nodded, still too stranger shy to say anything, "May I see your Code Scanners, please?"

"They don't work…" Kaz grumbled as he fished his out of his pocket and handed it to the man. Tom followed suit.

To their utter surprise, the man started chuckling as he hooked their Scanners up to a small, black box via wafer thin black cords, "Ahahaha, no one's Code Scanners are working at the moment. I'm Levi Tember, by the way, chauffer and guard dog." He chuckled again, looking at the black box which was making an odd whirring noise, "Everything seems to be in order." He handed them back their Scanners, "If you'll just climb right in," Levi opened the back door, ushering them inside, "I'll take your luggage and put it in the trunk."

Kaz and Tom slid into the black leather interior of the limo, half-smiling at one another, and Levi shut the door. They listened as the trunk popped open, their luggage set inside with some dull thuds, and then the slamming noise as the trunk was shut again. Footsteps around the side of the car and then the driver side door opened and Levi dropped into the driver's seat, grinning at them and tossing his sign and black box into the passenger seat next to him. The engine revved and, through the tinted windows, the boys could see the air port moving slowly away from them.

"Hey Levi," Tom leaned forward in his seat as Kaz fiddled with the controls; he was now making a drink holder pop in and out of the back of the seat in front of him, "You said nobodies Code Scanner was working, right? Well why's that?"

Kaz lost interest in the cup holder immediately.

Levi's smile dropped, "We're having problems with Chaotic. Not with Perim, with Chaotic. Online gaming is fine but we've sent an e-mail to everyone who's been able to port to Chaotic saying we've shut down the game world because it's under maintenance. Man, the hate mail from that one…" Levi rolled his eyes and Tom and Kaz glanced at one another.

"So, what sort of problems are you having with Chaotic?" Kaz asked, remembering vividly the dream/nightmare he'd had after the science fair.

"It's…hard for someone like me to explain, I don't work in the department that manages Chaotic. But apparently, from what I've heard, there's been some sort of "rip" in it or those things." Levi's brow furrowed, "Well, I mean, Tobias and Izaak were talking about it and by the sound of it they were having problems with the wormholes or something to that effect. Apparently, they had to close it up real quick and kick everyone out."

"Tobias? Izaak?" Tom and Kaz said at the same time.

"Well, yeah, two of the six Khaos brothers who own Khaos Corporation." Levi pulled onto the freeway, picking up speed, "Tobias is the oldest and then there's Joseph, and then Izaak, the twins Scotty and Conner, and the youngest is Leon."

"Dang, big family." Tom murmured and Kaz nodded in agreement.

"Hey, you guys mind if I turn on the radio?" The hazel-eyed man did not take his eyes off the road but reached for the stereo control. When both boys answered that they didn't mind, he flicked the radio on, messed with the tuning for a bit, and finally settled on a station.

"—_to the Country Station! Where everything's country music!"_ Levi immediately relaxed as a song started playing; Tom winced in the back seat, a country hater, _"Tell me brothers, sisters, do you listen when it rains? Are you worried something's going to end it all today?"_

Kaz turned his attention to the window, watching the scenery fly by as the zipped over the concrete, and thought about where he was going. Khaos Corporation. Amazing! Then he frowned. But problems with Chaotic? Wormholes? It sounded eerily like the dream he'd had.

"_Is there anything that you wished that you had said? Or is it all just bouncing like a bubble in your head? Run, run 'til you're far away! Run, run 'til you're far away! 'Cause if you want to blow my mind, blow my mind, blow my mind! If you want to blow my mind, blow my mind, blow my mind!"_

Kaz forced his thoughts back to the idea of staying at the Khaos Corporation building _all summer_. A cabin! A private cabin all to himself! He suddenly pictured himself in a hot tub with a giant hot fudge Sunday and a plasma screen TV playing some action filled movie. He couldn't stop the grin from spreading across his face.

* * *

"Oh my…gosh…" Tom said in a hushed voice as the limo exited the long drive of thick pine trees to reveal a huge glass and steel building that was hidden from the road by the forest on three of its sides and the frosty mountains at its back.

"Welcome to Khaos Corporation, boys!" Levi laughed, catching sight of Kaz's open-mouthed stare in the review mirror.

The Khaos Corporation building was gigantic. Kaz hadn't seen a building that size since he'd lived in Chicago and even then, this one seemed monstrous compared to those. It had a rounded sort of front, pointed at the tip like a spade on a playing card, a rounded middle and three square-ish ends coming off it, one on the left, one on the right, and one in the back.

"It's got 30 floors," Levi was saying as he pulled the limo around the Chaotic symbol statue in the front and stopped in front of the double glass doors, "Plus living quarters tucked into Pine Forest with arched glass tunnels connecting it. Not to mention the basement levels. There are about six of those. Oh, and the highest security measures the world has to offer!" He leaned back in the seat, grinning, "This is where I say good-bye. Pleasure meeting you two! Don't worry about your luggage, the porter's will take it to your cabins. Enjoy!"

Tom scrambled out of the car after Kaz, both of them still in awe over the giant building.

"Think…we should go inside?" Tom asked as the limo disappeared around a corner and into the trees. Kaz nodded dumbly and stepped forward, Tom trailed behind him. Kaz pressed against the double doors and they swung open revealing a lobby that was more glorious than the outside of the building could ever be.

It was like walking into a movie theater only ten times more comfortable. A soft, dark maroon carpet was spread across the triangular room, several chandeliers of crystal and what appeared to be gold lit the place with a warm, welcoming glow, tiny crystal spheres, almost like disco balls, were strung around the ceiling, sending splinters of soft, white and gold light splashing around every surface, and the walls were a creamy color with several painted pictures of exotic and surreal landscapes hanging in ornate frames. Across the far wall opposite Tom and Kaz was a heavy, half-circle desk that seemed to be made out of wood but had a sheen like metal. On either side of this desk were four revolving doors with tinted glass and black trim. Behind the desk sat four or five women in black and red outfits typing away at computers, answering phones, or taking messages. Along the two walls to the left and right were squishy looking chairs or two seaters with small wooden coffee tables and lamp stands between them. And in the middle of the room, gathered around a large, round table that was groaning under trays of food and drink, was a group of at least ten teenagers, all talking in hushed, excited voices. Tom and Kaz trailed up to them, wary, but recognizing some faces of people they'd seen in Chaotic though not necessarily talked to.

"Hey, I know you," A girl with short, dyed black hair and thick black makeup eyed Tom, "You're that MajorTom kid." She glanced at Kaz, "And…KidChaor, right?"

"Uh…yeah." Kaz muttered.

"Cool." The girl replied and then went back to talking to the two other girls beside her. Tom's attention was immediately refocused upon the food and he grabbed a handful of potato chips and a cup of soda. Kaz was too excited and awe struck to be hungry.

"It _looks_ like everyone's here, doesn't it Conner?" Said a light, sunshine voice.

"Sure does, Scotty." Answered a similar voice, "But lets count…one, two, three, four…five, six…seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven…and twelve! That's everyone!"

The group of teenagers all turned to face the revolving doors. Two men were strolling nonchalantly towards them, smiling. Both of them were equal height with narrow faces to match their narrow frames, their eyes were a vivid turquoise blue and copper colored hair that seemed to be ruffled into a stylish mess. Both men wore black and red uniforms though they were more intricate than Levi's or the lady's at the desk.

"Hello, Chaotic players!" The one of the left hailed the group with a raised hand, "I'm Scotty and this is my twin brother Conner!" The man on the right wiggled his fingers at them with a grin, "I know you guys are probably eager for the tour but my brothers and I think it would be better for you to get settled in first. So if you'll just follow Conner and I…"

The twelve teenagers trailed after the two Khaos Brothers. They walked through the revolving door to the far left of the desk, up a flight of stairs, and into a smaller room with a white tiled floor, white walls, and a white ceiling. On one wall was a dark blue desk behind which was stationed a stern looking man dressed in something like a police officer's outfit but colored in the now familiar scheme of red and black. He saluted Scotty and Conner who saluted him right back.

"That's Greg, our Living Quarters Security Man," Conner said and Greg waved to the gang who gave mixed responses of waves and cold shoulders, "You'll come by him everyday so he can verify your identities."

Scotty and Conner led the group through a set of heavy metal doors at the other side of the room and into the sunshine. At least, that's what they thought at first as the brilliant afternoon glare hit them. But as soon as their eyes adjusted…

"Whoa…" One girl whispered, "This is amazing…!"

They were standing in an arched bridge, shining black tile beneath their feet and a glass dome arching over their heads. Beneath them flowed a river that curved out of the forest of pine trees, twisted alongside the building, and then vanished back into the trees. The view was breath takingly gorgeous.

Kaz pressed his hands against the glass, looking down, and got an extreme sense of vertigo. He stepped back, shaking his head and readjusting his glasses, and then turned and caught up with Tom and the rest of the group who was heading down the bridge.

"This is the Glass Bridge," Conner stated, waving a hand around to emphasize the dome over their heads, "It's air conditioned so it never gets too warm in the summer, and has a heating system so it's not to cold in the winter. This area leads to the living quarters of the staff and the guests. Most of the personnel choose to remain living at Khaos Corporation because it would be too far away for them to keep going back and forth between home and work everyday."

"And just up ahead…The Khaos Corporation Living Quarters!" Scotty waved a hand dramatically at the end of the tunnel which was blocked by a set of double glass doors. The group piled out through the doors and paused to take in the dazzling sight.

They stood on a huge platform over the ground below with an arched canopy of steel beams and stained glass over their heads, speckling the floor with over a dozen colors and making the pine trees whose tops toward over them like ghostly Christmas trees. Tables and soft chairs were scattered around the platform. Leading off of the platform was a sturdy metal bridge with smooth wooden handrails that vanished into the trees across a huge crater in the side of the mountain.

"Those mountains," Conner pointed to the peaks in the distance and the towering one before them, "Are called the Hoarfrost Crests. They get very, very, _very_ cold farther up, even in the summer. I suggest you stay within the boundaries of your living quarters."

"Come along!" Scotty bounced ahead of his twin, gesturing for the group to follow, "We're almost there and then you can get all settled in!"

"This place is more like a resort than a major company!" Tom whispered as they walked down the bridge into the pine trees, "It's just…beautiful!"

"I know!" Kaz responded with a small laugh, "I have to keep reminding myself this is the source of Chaotic and not a luxury hotel on the Florida coast of something!"

Both boys fell silent again as they followed the gang of teenagers led by the two Khaos twins into the shade of Pine Forest. A few steps farther in and they emerged onto another platform, this one made of a mock wood that looked as tough as steel. Park benches painted black were scattered around it with small tables with glass tops and a waist height glass wall topped with a wooden bar ran along its length. Stretching off from the platform were three different bridges similar to the one they had just crossed.

"Ladies, if you'll follow me I'll show you around your cabins." Scotty smiled charmingly and, blushing, the girls separated from the group and followed after him. Tom saw the Gothic girl rolling her eyes in exasperation.

"And boys, you'll be sticking with me." Conner motioned for them to follow along the bridge to their far right, the girls having followed Scotty down the one to the left, "The middle bridge is to the staff living area. You're not allowed down there."

"Mr. Conner," A tall boy who looked like a basketball player stuck his hands in his pockets, gazing around, "This place seems…really swanky for a corporation. Why're you so rural?"

"Tobias' idea." Conner replied, "He figured it would be best to stay out here to keep imagination fresh and unhindered by society or something like that. Plus, the air's cleaner here. Keeps our staff healthy. Aha! Here we are!"

Standing silently before them were several wooden cabins etched into the mountain side like something from a greeting card. There was a wooden platform running all the way around each cabin and a small bridge linking each platform. The cabins all appeared to be about two stories high with tinted windows and knockers in the shape of the Chaotic symbol. Conner turned to face them, pulling a black pouch from the pocket of his pants.

"You each have a cabin to yourselves. Each cabin is equipped with a large bathroom, a small kitchen should you get hungry between meals at the main building, a large bedroom, a lounge, also very big, equipped with the latest gaming systems, two plasma screen TVs, couches, chairs, coffee tables, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera." The Khaos brother smiled, reaching into the pouch, "The numbers on your keys match the number of your cabin. The number is painted on the door in red." He pulled out a handful of keys, "Enjoy yourselves, boys! Lunch will be delivered to you at noon and supper at six! The tour will begin tomorrow morning!" Conner lifted a key out of the bunch in his hands, "Um, Dylan Ashter?"

The tall, basketball player-looking boy stepped forward and took the key from Conner, staring at the keychain number swinging from it before wandering off in search of his cabin.

"Nicholas Anderson?"

"Nick." Said a short boy, snatching the key away with a sneer, "Don't call me Nicholas." And he stomped away.

"Matthew Henrik?"

"Thanks, mate." A teen with sandy colored hair took the key from Conner, grinned at the remaining three boys, and vanished.

"Kazdan Kalinkas?"

"Kaz, call me Kaz." Kaz practically jumped forward for his key and bounced off to the side to wait for Tom.

"Soyokaze Yume? Did I say that right?"

"Mm-hm, yes. Thank you."

And finally…

"Thomas Majors?"

"Uh, Tom, please." Tom pushed his black hair from his face, let Conner drop the key in his hand, and then proceeded to follow Kaz into the trees. Conner watched them disperse for a moment or two and then turned and went back the way he'd come. He met up with Scotty just outside the security doors.

"Tobias wants to see us…" The twin muttered in a somber tone as Conner approached, "In the Generator Room, he says it's serious."

"Right." They vanished through the doors.

* * *

Whoa my goodness! Long freaking chapter! Smoly Hokes! Okay, so, things are finally under way and Kaz and Tom are at Khaos Corporation! Yeah!

So, anyway, I'll try and get as many chapters done while I'm on my computer here and now so that when I post this it will be, um, a lot of chapters all at once. (inner voice: *cough*procrastinator*cough*)


	3. Something On the Horizon

Told you the title was prone to change!

Oh, wow, where has this been? Hm, hm…Writer's Block, I think? Yeah, definitely Writer's Block. I've got a bad case of it for everything right now and I'm sick of it. Ahg, the clichés! That and my dual-enrollment class has been keeping me busy! Gosh, freaking, English class!

* * *

**3: Something on the Horizon

* * *

  
**

"_Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful." –Joshua J. Marine

* * *

  
_

"What happened?"

"It stabilized? For how long?"

"Twenty seconds."

"Did anything get through?"

"No. But we saw…something."

"Something? A Creature?"

"No, it wasn't from Perim. It was black, all black, with yellow eyes."

"Do you think it will stabilize again?"

"I don't know."

"How is our Generator linking to another world? It's specifically coordinated so that it will open only to Chaotic and Perim?"

"Izaak thought that, well, you tell them, Izaak."

"Someone's trying to open it from the other side."

"What!?"

"No way!? That's possible!?"

"What do we do!?"

"We wait, for now. We don't know if this will pan out to be anything at all."

"But what about the kids…they can't stay here if—."

"I can't go back on my word, Joseph! If something dangerous happens we'll send them straight home but, so help me, I can't take this chance away from them!"

"None of them know anything anyway. They're all under the impression that Chaotic's closed down due to construction, like something's broken. No harm done."

"Right. So we keep our mouths shut, act like nothing's wrong, and continue to monitor this…anomaly. Clear?"

"Crystal."

* * *

In the back of his head, Kaz wondered if his jaw was going to fall off for how many times it'd dropped in awe all in one day. He'd opened up his cabin door to find himself in a cavernous living room with a thick, cream carpet, taupe walls, and a dark wood ceiling. An open door across the room led into a small kitchen with a black and white tiled floor, black walls, and a white ceiling lit by a huge, rectangular overhead florescent light. To the right of the door was a spiraling wooden staircase that led to the second floor.

Against the wall to his right was a huge plasma screen TV almost as big as he was, with a U-shaped, black fabric couch in front of it. Between the couch and the TV was a glass-topped coffee table that was being supported by a stalking stone dragon. Half-circle glass cases stuck out of the wall, displaying at least one hundred DVDs alone.

Behind the couch on the opposite wall was yet _another_ plasma screen TV with giant, black beanbags, humongous, black pillows, and squat little, black chairs scattered in front of it. Set neatly on the floor in front of the second television were a Wii, a Play Station 3, an Xbox 360, and a Gamecube. Two shelves were set up on either side of the TV screen, groaning under stacks of video games.

Kaz wandered down the middle of the room and up the spiral stair case which led him to a square landing with squishy dark brown carpet. To his right was a wooden door stained with black and to his left was a mahogany door. Kaz pushed open the door to his right first and swallowed another gasp.

Shiny pearl white marble coated the floor, the walls were a dark, royal violet, and the ceiling was a midnight black flecked with silver dots that shone like stars when Kaz turned on the first set of lights; four small, white circles in each of the four corners of the room that gave the feeling of being outside under a clear, night sky. The second set of lights; a circular disc that looked to Kaz like a UFO; lit the room better. On the left wall was a deep, black tub that looked to be made out of marble with silver taps and jets, a shower stood next to it, made of misted glass and silver, that looked big enough to hold at least ten people comfortably, and a rack of large, fluffy dark blue towels sat on a glass and silver shelf above the tub. On the wall opposite Kaz was a floor to ceiling mirror set in a highly wrought, black stone, frame of flowers and thorny vines. To his right was a black toilet with a silver handle, a black sink, also with silver taps and handles, and a cupboard that held, when Kaz opened it, more towels, washcloths, stacks of toilet paper, and bars of scented soap.

Kaz closed the bathroom door, wondering if he was still dreaming, and turned to the second door, the one that was probably the bedroom. Taking a deep breath and trying to brace himself for anything, he twisted the handle and stepped in.

Soft, dark red carpet sank beneath his shoes as he walked forward, gazing around. The walls were off-white and the ceiling was a sort of white-green. A window at the other side of the room let in a little light through the heavy taupe curtains. Kaz walked over and pulled them apart with a flourish, turning around to examine the room further. A large bed with a canopy and drapes around it took up most of the space in the room, tucked to the middle of the wall to his left, across from the bed was a dresser with four drawers and his luggage stacked neatly next to it. On the other side of the dresser was a sliding door that probably led to a closet. There was a bed side stand with a lamp resting on it and a desk to the left of the door with a computer sitting on its wooden surface.

"This place is nuts." The boy muttered, making his way towards his luggage so he could start unpacking, "It's way to awesome to belong to a company!"

After everything was put in its proper place (he got lost in the walk in closet), Kaz fell back onto the bed with a sigh and tugged his Code Scanner out of his pocket to stare at it rather mournfully. Levi had told them that there were problems with Chaotic and that _no one_ could port there. But he wanted to try anyway. Kaz crossed his fingers briefly, closed his eyes, and pressed the button.

"Please, please, please, please, please!" He whispered, cracking one eye open to peer at the red device in his hand, "_Please_!?" Something like static on a radio rang in his ears and he saw explosions of black and blue-white in his mind's eye, "OW!" The Code Scanner dropped to the floor as Kaz buried his face in his hands, pushing his glasses up to his forehead with a groan, "Alright, Note To Self, never do that again…!" Kaz massaged his temples with a sigh, "Great now I've got a headache…"

He glanced at the digital clock provided on the bedside stand; the glowing red numbers stated the time to be 11:15 am. There was enough time for a shower.

* * *

"Kaz! Kaz, open up, huh! Come on! Kaz!" Tom pounded a fist on the front door of Kaz's cabin for the third time, having given up on the knocker after five tries, "Man, this thing needs a doorbell!"

"It's open!" Shouted a voice from the upstairs and Tom looked up to see Kaz leaning out the window with a towel around his shoulders. Then his friend vanished back inside. Tom shrugged, twisted the handle, and stepped into the spacious lounge that was an exact replica of the one in his own cabin.

"Sorry Tom, I was in the shower!" Kaz came jogging down the steps, tousling his damp orange hair with a puffy towel, "What's up?"

"Is this place amazing or what!?" Tom shouted, falling back onto one of the couches as Kaz ran his fingers through his hair to get the tangles out and keep it out of his face.

"You're telling me!" Kaz dropped the towel around his bare shoulders, grinning, and sat down beside his best friend, "When Peyton and Sarah hear about this, they're gonna explode!"

"Put a shirt on, Kaz." Tom half-laughed as Kaz's face turned a furious red color that was brighter than his hair.

"Hey, give me a break! I was in the shower when you started hammering on the door!" Kaz crossed his arms, faking a pout, "I barely had enough time to get my pants on!"

"Yeah, sure you did!" Tom chuckled, leaning back on the couch, "You remember when we were younger and I used to do…THIS!" Tom jumped forward and snatched Kaz's glasses off the boy's face.

"Tom, darn it!" Kaz attempted to grab them back but without his glasses his vision was a smear of colors and he fell to the floor, squinting, "That's not funny! Give 'em back and quit acting like a five year old! Tom!"

Tom danced away, Kaz's glasses in hand, and sat down on one of the chairs across the room. Kaz scowled as he heard the fabric rustle and felt his way over carefully. Soon, he was standing over Tom with an angry frown and his fists clenched.

"Tom…give…them…back…!"

"Here, geez, I was just messin'!" Tom handed his red haired friend the glasses as the smile slipped from his face, "But seriously, something's eating you. What's up?"

Kaz flopped into a poof next to his best friend, adjusting his glasses with a troubled expression, "It's the whole business with our Code Scanners not working. I mean, the wormhole created in our minds through the Scanners is supposed to transport a mental project; what we call Code; into Chaotic, right?"

Tom's expression was totally blank, "You've completely lost me, man."

"Look, Tom, it's not magic, it's simple science." Tom raised an eyebrow, "Okay, not _simple_ science maybe but it's still science." Kaz tugged his Code Scanner from his pocket, "Look, each of our Scanners is tuned in so that it works only for us, right? Only _we_ can use it to port to Chaotic and Perim and back again. The most anyone else can do with it is go through our decks. Am I right?"

"Yeah, sure, but—."

"Each Code Scanner is like a mini-wormhole generator. Remember my science fair project? It's sort of like that." Kaz tossed his Code Scanner from one hand to the other, watching its progress while continuing his lecture, "Now this generator in the Scanner is linked into our minds. When we type in the specific code that allows us to port to Chaotic, it opens up a hole between the Real World and Chaotic in our minds and pulls our Code through." Kaz stopped tossing his Code Scanner around for a second, "This is all my own theory, by the way." He started tossing again, "So anyway, our Code goes through to Chaotic and then from there we can send it on into Perim or back here to our minds. See, in Chaotic, we're basically collecting memories. Get it?" Kaz looked over at Tom.

"Noooo…" Tom moaned, shoving his fingers through his black hair and making it stand on end, "Theory, right? Then stop giving me a headache."

It was Kaz's turn to laugh. Kaz had always been the smart one and if he could figure out how the Code Scanners worked, that was fine with Tom. Tom himself just didn't want to get a headache trying to learn about it from his best friend.

* * *

It was twilight.

The sun was perched just on the horizon, sending golden and red rays flaming through the sky to change the colors of the clouds into blaring shades of pink, orange, yellow, and red and cast every corner into deep shadow.

At the edge of the sky, just past the top of the hill, a line of dark clouds boiled.

A storm was coming.

His vibrant blue eyes flashed as he stared at the storm line. Maybe he was reading too much into it but it seemed like a really ominous sign.

"Hey," Came a voice behind him, "What'cha doin'?"

"Look," He pointed to the horizon, "There's a storm coming."

"Yep," The second person sighed, crossing their arms over their chest, "And it's gonna be one heck of a storm by the looks of things. You-Know-Who's got it all planned out and ready to go. If things play out the way they're supposed to, we won't have to worry about anyone getting hurt."

"I still get a nasty taste in my mouth from all of this." He replied, grumbling slightly as he turned away from the looming storm, "I just _know_ something's going to—." He stopped talking and sunk farther into the shadows as a trio of friends walked past, laughing together, and finally vanished around a corner.

"What's with that expression?" Asked the second figure in a teasing voice.

"I…" He stopped and scowled, brushing past his companion without another word, "It doesn't matter. Let's go back, I want some ice cream."

"Whatever." The second person muttered but trailed after him into the tunnel.

A rumble of thunder rolled over the top of the hill like dark laughter.

* * *

Aw, gee-freaking-whiz! I'm sorry for not updating this sooner but my computer was being really, really stupid and the old piece of junk that it is and my thumb drive got all screwed up from the computers at my high school and I've been super busy. To make up for it, I tried to make this chapter a little longer than usual. Um…yeah…_that_ really worked!

So, I gave you a little inside peek at _something_ at the end there. And had fun playing with Kaz's logic. Mm, I guess I strayed from the show a little bit in the fact that the characters seem a little more realistic to me. But, hey, that's me.

Thanks for reading, please review, and good-bye!


	4. Problems in Paradise

I'm making up for my "not-updating-in-a-long-time-ness" by trying to get more chapters out. Excuse me if some stuff sounds really corny but I'm really hungry right now. Having only an apple for lunch is not good for someone with a high metabolism. (laughs) _Anyway_, I justify my Sarah**x**Peyton-ness! So ha! Peyton totally took Sarah on a date! Eat _that_ Sarah**x**Tom fans!

* * *

**4: Problems in Paradise

* * *

  
**

"_I have always imagined that paradise will be a kind of library." –Jorge Luis Borges

* * *

  
_

Sarah yawned, running her fingers through her disheveled blonde hair with a grunt of dissatisfaction. She'd been outside in the cold with the marching band, dancing around like the color guard she was. And she was _not_ in a good mood.

"What a stupid night," The girl grumbled, pulling her sweater over head and threw on her floor, "I just want to _hit_ half the people in that band!"

_Ding-ding!_

Sarah stopped in the act of pulling her socks off and looked around at her computer. There was a little icon flashing at the bottom of her screen; an envelope with wings. Someone was messaging her.

_Ding-ding!_

"Okay, fine!" Sarah fell into her computer chair with a huff and clicked on the icon, "What the—Peyton! You dolt!"

Message after message scrolled its way down her screen…every single one from Peyton.

_PeytonicMaster: __**Hey! Sarah, you there?**_

_PeytonicMaster: __**Hello? Sarah?**_

_PeytonicMaster: __**Heeeeellllloooooooo!?**_

_PeytonicMaster: __**Sarah! Sarah! Sarah! Sarah! Sarah! Sarah! Sarah!**_

_PeytonicMaster: __**Are you ignoring me? Dude, totally **_**not**_** cool!**_

_PeytonicMaster: __**You're not really ignoring me, are you?**_

_PeytonicMaster: __**Sarah…? **_

_PeytonicMaster:_ _**T.T**_

_PeytonicMaster: __**Okay, I've waited an hour! **_

_PeytonicMaster: __**Saaarrrraaaaahhhhh! I'm waaaaiiiiitttiiinnnnnnggggg!**_

_PeytonicMaster: __**Aw, come on! **_

Sarah rolled her eyes and tapped her fingers across her keyboard, stifling another yawn.

_ChaotiKween:_ _**Peyton! Enough! I had color guard practice with the band! **_

_PeytonicMaster:_ _**Oh…**_

_ChaotiKween: __**What do you need?**_

_PeytonicMaster: __**Does your Code Scanner work? 'Cause mine doesn't and I got this lame letter in the mail saying Chaotic's shut down for some kinda construction or something. **_

_**Mine's not working either.**_ As Sarah typed in the words, she felt her stomach twisting into a knot. She missed the Drome matches, she missed Perim, she missed Kaz's silly antics, she missed Tom's inflated ego, and she missed Peyton's warm company, _**Have you heard from Tom or Kaz?**_

_PeytonicMaster: __**That's a negative. I got nothing from either of them…Dude, it's been…lonely without Chaotic. You know what I mean?**_

_ChaotiKween: __**Yeah, I do…Hey Peyton…**_

_PeytonicMaster: __**Yeah?**_

_ChaotiKween: __**I…miss you.**_

Crickets chirped in the night air. Peace reigned. The silence and serenity of the night was a warm blanket against the cold worries of the day. Sleep permeated the star-speckled darkness. Dreams drifted onward.

"It's nice, isn't it?" Izaak Khaos murmured, leaning onto the balcony railing next to his youngest and adopted brother Leon, "You know, I never get tired of this. Never."

Leon didn't respond; he just kept staring up at the stars, his green eyes glittering in their light. His usually sleek, black hair was ruffled and stuck out every which way. He was dressed in a loose fitting black sweater and black sweatpants. He'd been wearing them all day.

"I don't get it, Izaak," The youngest Khaos said softly in his musical voice, "Why is Tobias willing to risk this whole company just to give a couple of kids a good summer? What's it matter to _him_ if they're happy."

Izaak burst out laughing and Leon scowled at him. Leon had been born in a backwater town that no one remembered the name of. His parents had been unable to afford the challenge of raising a child and so, with much heartbreak, they were forced to give him up to the orphanage.

They never came back for him.

Still, Leon prevailed. He was genius, by anyone's standards, and he knew he deserved better. When he turned fourteen, he ran away. It was hard. He got odd jobs where he could and made his way further and further across the States. He ended up outside the Khaos Computer Company. Tobias, Joseph, Izaak, Scotty, and Conner had started the online game of Chaotic by then and were slowly working their way into Perim. Tobias had hacked a crude wormhole between worlds for a brief period of time and the brothers were trying to refine it. They accepted Leon into the fold without question.

He'd found a home.

"What's so funny?" Leon grumbled as Izaak's laughter died away.

"You still don't get Tobias, do you?" Izaak's frizzy dirty-blonde hair tossed itself into his face with the help of a breeze and he brushed it aside, getting it out of his navy blue eyes, "The company's never meant anything to that guy! He doesn't care about money or fame or any of that!" Izaak flicked his gaze up to the tops of the mountains, watching their tips sparkle in the moonlight, "He believes in fun; absolute, unconditioned, fun!" He looked back at his younger brother, "Get it?"

"No," Leon muttered but couldn't stop the tired smile from turning up the corners of his lips, "Want to hit the sack?"

"Sure, Little Brother…"

Kaz awoke the next morning to a sliver of sunlight peeking through the small opening in the curtains he hadn't quite closed the night before. With a yawn, he swung himself out of the bed, kicking away the blankets as he went, shoved his glasses haphazardly onto his face, and stumbled his way towards the dresser.

He found his way down the stairs easier.

"Geez, Kaz, walk much?" Tom half laughed, half yawned as he trotted through the front door of his best friend's cabin.

"How come you always catch _me_ doing something embarrassing?" Kaz muttered, pushing himself to his feet and making sure nothing was broken from his fall, "Why can't, just for once, I catch _you_ with your hand in the cookie jar?"

"Because I'm too sneaky to be caught!" Tom laughed, faking a punch and making Kaz flinch, "Ah! Two for flinching!" He tapped his knuckles into Kaz's spiky hair twice, still laughing.

"Glad to know _somebody's_ a morning person…" Kaz grumbled, "Why're you over here anyway?"

"Uh, breakfast." Tom said, "We're going to the company cafeteria for breakfast, remember?"

"Okay, okay," Kaz dug into the pockets of his jeans and pulled out his keys after making sure his Code Scanner was safe and secure, "Let's go, I'm starving."

"How's it coming?" Tobias Khaos slammed the door open and let it slam shut behind him, "What's the update?"

"Nothing, sir," Replied a woman stationed at one of the many computer terminals scattered throughout the room, never taking her eyes off the screen, "A few moments after it stabilized it collapsed in on itself and hasn't opened up since. There have been a few strange anomalies in the equations but nothing threatening."

"Thanks." Tobias muttered, turning to face the great, cylindrical devices the stretched from floor to ceiling. There were ten of them and each had eight, giant screens attached to them, their faces flooded with information from the entire building.

Tobias tucked one hand into his pocket and walked up to one of the screens. He traced a finger down a list of ever changing numbers, muttering to himself. Then he froze, pushed his thick, square, black-framed glasses up his nose, and whirled to face the employees at the computers.

"There's been a miscalculation." He said in a cold voice that drew everyone's attention, "I want all unneeded personal evacuated from the grounds immediately. Keep our guests under constant surveillance and keep an eye on those numbers." He jabbed a finger at the screen, "This could get dicey." And he strode from the room with a flourish of his trench coat.

The techies stared after him. Tobias Khaos was the most self controlled of the brothers, even if he didn't act like it most of the time, and he never lost his cool. It was obvious something was stressing him out. They could tell by the way he was tugging at his goatee.

After a very hearty and very filling breakfast, the group of teenagers was led from the Cafeteria on the tenth floor to a comfortable waiting room on the eighth that was filled with soft tones, squishy chairs, and the cliché outdated magazines.

It was a good thing they didn't have to wait long because Kaz looked like he was about to explode.

The door opened and Scotty and Conner walked in, both dressed like they were yesterday and Conner with a velvet black bag under his arm about the size of one of those shopping bags you could get from Meijer.

"Morning, guys!" Scotty grinned, waving at the group, "Sleep good? Nice breakfast? Excellent! Are you ready for a tour?"

There were several screamed replies of "yes" and "oh my gosh, let's go now."

"Fear not!" Conner stated dramatically, "A tour you shall have! But first," He held out a dark violet bag, "Your Code Scanners, please."

No one moved.

"Oh, come _on_!" Scotty huffed, crossing his arms, "You want free scans, don't you? They're rare, you know. Can't get them anywhere else."

Every Scanner was in the bag within seconds.

"Right then. Conner's going to take care of the scans and I'm going to show you around." Scotty started towards one of the revolving doors, motioning for the group to follow him, "Ladies and gentle-teens, I present to you…Khaos Corporation!"

You'll have to wait until the next chapter. (evil grin) I'm such a brat. Hah, hah…! How do you like _them_ snickerdoodles? Okay, anyway, I know that one was kind of filler but, hey, you know, I'm building up the tension. Mwahahahahaha!

Totally not the place for an evil laugh…

So thanks for reading, please leave me a review, and byes!


	5. A Song of Storm and Chaos

Oh no…I got lazy…oh my gosh, I got so freaking lazy…but, I mean, come on, can you really blame me? There's thirty freakin' floors in the Khaos Corporation building and there's no way I'm going to describe them all. It's just too much, even for me. So here's the plan, I'll skip ahead, right, and _maybe_, if I ever get off my lazy rear to do it, I'll sketch a "layout" of what the floors have on 'em.

There, now I'm a procrastinator, a liar, _and_ a nerd! What a great combo…

**5: A Song of Storm and Chaos

* * *

  
**

"_Help! I'm in a pickup truck full of psychic cannibals!" –Kuwabara, Yu Yu Hakusho

* * *

  
_

"And the Code Scanners! I mean, oh my _gosh_, my science fair project was so close! I was a few mechanics off!"

"I know! This place is incredible!" Tom and Kaz, along with the other teenagers, had just completed the tour of the first six floors of Khaos Corporation as well as lunch and were now laughing and talking in the Cafeteria which resembled a high-rise hotel restaurant.

"Okay everybody!" Scotty stood up on his chair, putting one foot on the table, "I've just given you a taste and our facility is _huge_! If you have any questions or want to see anything else today, just let me know!" And he fell back into his seat with an elegant sweep of his hand.

Kaz immediately leapt to his feet and started across the Cafeteria. Tom jogged to catch up with him, "And where are you going?"

"I want to see their Wormhole Generator." Kaz replied in a hushed voice, unable to stop the odd grin spreading across his face.

"Kaz, um, do me a favor and don't ever smile like that again. It makes me think you'd look better in a strait jacket." Tom snorted with laughter as he continued to follow his best friend over to where Scotty was sitting with two of the visiting girls.

"S-Scotty?" Kaz desperately tried to swallow his stutter as the Khaos brother flicked his turquoise eyes on him, "Um…" Kaz took a deep breath and set his jaw, "We want to see the Wormhole Generator."

Scotty blinked at them a couple of times and then frowned thoughtfully before getting to his feet. He pulled a black cell phone emblazed with the Chaotic crest on it from his pocket, still frowning, "Let me make a call, real quick." He muttered and walked to the other side of the room.

One of the girls fluttered her eyelashes at Tom and then turned to her friend and spoke in a voice she obviously thought the two boys couldn't hear, "I don't know where you're coming from, _chica_, but MajorTom is _way_ cuter than KidChaor. Besides, OverWorlders are better."

Both boys' faces flushed. But for different reasons.

"You're so fickle!" The first girl's friend hissed back, "Who cares what tribe they support? KidChaor's a _ton_ cuter than MajorTom! And he's got red hair."

Kaz hunched his shoulders, his face turning redder and redder by the second, and turned his back on the two girls. Both of them giggled and Tom felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end and his ears got really hot all of a sudden.

"Yeah, well, I say it's easier to get an OverWorlder in the same bed as—."

"You're good!" Scotty bounced over joyfully, shoving his phone back into his pocket, "But you're going to need this!" He pulled a plastic wrapped card seemingly out of nowhere, "It's a pass that will let you past the guard." Seeing the looks on the two boys' faces he quickly said, "It's delicate stuff! And we don't want anyone to get hurt!"

"R-right! Thanks!" Kaz took the card from him, "Um, where do we go?"

"Take the stairs up to the eleventh floor and after you exit the stairwell go straight down to the end of the hall. Flash the pass to the guard and he'll let you through!" Scotty winked, "Easy as pie!"

"Thanks!" Kaz said again and beckoned Tom to follow him from the room, practically bouncing all the way out.

* * *

He watched it flicker…and die…flicker…and die…flicker…and die. It'd been like that for the past two days. Like a candle flame fighting to stay lit when it was at the end of its wick. His golden eyes narrowed.

Why wouldn't it stay?

The plan was perfect. Get in, cause some trouble, solve the trouble, and get out. No one would get hurt.

But it wouldn't stay!

"Why isn't it working?" He growled in a low voice, turning his cold gaze upon the small group standing in the shadows, "Why isn't it staying?"

"A theory?" Muttered one of the figures in such an icy voice that it seemed to make the very air still in fear, "Perhaps they realize what we are attempting to do. And if they do not realize it then they have probably noticed the abnormalities created by our…interference. It is possible they are attempting to solve the problem without knowing what it is they're trying to solve."

"You know," Said a cheery voice, "That somehow makes sense!"

"Shush." Hissed another voice from the shadows.

"Then what do you propose?" The golden-eyed man growled.

"Force it open." Another voice, this one medium with a tinge of an accent to it, stated, "We're not giving it full power. If we did, I have no doubt that it would remain open."

"But it's too dangerous!" A young voice cracked the air, "What if it breaks—?"

"Enough!" Snapped the man with the golden eyes, "Who cares what happens to _them_ as long as we get what we want?" His next words came out in an eerie whisper, "Give it everything we've got."

There was a discontented murmur but no further argument was made.

* * *

Kaz pushed the door open to the eleventh floor and stepped out into a hallway that looked like all the rest in the building; a black tile floor, white-washed walls, a pale blue ceiling with florescent lights overhead, and the walls dotted with turns into other hallways and steel doors.

The spiky haired boy tried his best to keep from running the length of the hall as he made his way towards the black metal door emblazed with the Chaotic symbol at the far end of the hall. Tom trialed behind him, muttering dark nothings under his breath.

"What're you kids doing here?" The gruff looking man in something like a police outfit only black and red asked as the two boys approached, "You lost?"

"We're up here to see the Generator." Tom replied sharply before Kaz could clear his throat enough to stop himself from squeaking.

"You two are going to see the Wormhole Generator?" The uniformed guard raised an eyebrow and Kaz nodded, holding up the card that Scotty had given him, "Well, guess you're cleared. Willy can take you guys from here."

The guard pushed the door open and ushered them inside, closing it behind them. The room was fairly large with a silver-blue tiled floor, cream walls, a row of silver cabinets along wall, numerous beeping and whirring consuls with holographic screens on another, and another large door opposite them. There was no one else in the room.

"Um…hello?" Tom said in a low voice but it still echoed slightly around the room, "Is anyone here?"

"Who's there!?" Someone poked their head over the consuls on the left wall, "Hey, how'd you kids get in here!?"

"Are you Willy?" Kaz asked skeptically as a tall woman with dark brown hair held back in a loose braid and shining green-hazel eyes shimmied out from behind the electronics.

"Yeah, who's asking?" Willy had a black, fingerless glove on her right hand, a black armband stretching from her elbow to her knuckles on her left arm, a purple flame tattoo on her right shoulder, and a blue flame tattoo on the upper part of her left arm. A dark green vest was zipped over her chest but was just short enough to show her midriff and a pink flower tattoo next to her bellybutton. A brown belt from which dangled a set of about two dozen keys and her ID was clicked over a dark green skirt under which she wore, tight, pale violet pants. Knee high dark purple boots thudded on the floor as she made her way towards them.

"K-Kaz Kalinkas." Kaz's face was bright red and he was looking anywhere but at Willy. The zipper on her vest was at least a quarter of the way down.

"Tom Majors." Tom, on the other hand, couldn't tear his eyes away, "Uh…S-Scotty said we could see the Generator."

"Did he now?" Willy seemed skeptical. She tapped the clipboard she had in her hand on the back of her neck with a sly and thoughtful smile, "Hm, well, if the brothers said yes then there's nothing _I_ can do about it." She tossed the clipboard on the floor and motioned for the boys to follow her over to the cabinets, "But you can't go in there without proper apparel!"

Tom and Kaz shared a glance as Willy stomped up to one of the cabinets and threw it open with a bang.

"You!" She pointed to Kaz who yelped and straightened, "How tall are you and what's your favorite color?"

"Uh…um…I…I'm about f-five, six…I think…" Kaz glanced at Tom who merely shrugged, "And, um, green."

"Right then! Put this on over your clothes!" Willy threw something at him without looking, making the boy stumble back as he fumbled with the object, "Your turn!" The woman jabbed a finger at Tom who blushed crimson and stuttered out his answers.

Kaz, meanwhile, was trying to figure out what it was he was supposed to be putting on. Once he finally got the stretchy, rubber-like thing situated, he found it to be something like a hazmat suit. It was primarily dark green with a black stripe down each arm, the front and back of the legs, and down the chest and center of the back. Kaz grimaced and gingerly pulled the suit on over his tennis shoes, jeans, and T-shirt. Then he gave a startled cry as someone grabbed the zipper in the back and yanked it upwards, closing the suit up.

He spun around and saw Willy standing there with her hands on her hips and a satisfied smirk on her face. Tom was next to her flexing his fingers in his own blue and black hazmat suit with an expression of slight disgust.

"Can we go see it now?" Kaz asked in a hesitant voice. He wasn't so sure he liked Willy's extravagant, not to mention boisterous, style; she'd probably give Peyton a run for his money.

"Nope!" With a twirl that sent her braid spinning, the woman reached back into the cabinet and pulled out a heavy looking steel box. Propping it on her knee, she opened it up and pulled out an armful of silver bands before replacing the box. Then she motioned for Tom to step forward. The black-haired boy edged towards her hesitantly.

"These," Willy stated, grabbing Tom's wrists and clamping the bands around them, "Are stabilizers. If something goes haywire with the Generator," She did the same to his ankles, "These will stop you from being broken down into nothing more than space dust." She clamped one around Tom's neck and the largest one around his waist. Then she motioned for Kaz.

Kaz felt his head spinning.

He was beginning to regret this.

"Finished!" Willy said in a sing-song voice and was interrupted by a song coming from across the room on top of one of the control panels.

"_Because you wrote: I wish you her! You left out the 'e'! You left with out me!" _ Willy frowned and walked over to the panel, scooping up a violet cell phone dotted with pink stars and a black and silver skull hanging off the antenna, _"And now you're somewhere out there with a bi—!"_ She flicked the phone open.

"What, hon, I'm busy?" The words would have sounded annoyed if not for the teasing tones and Willy's mischievous grin, "Noooooooo…" She tilted her head and Tom and Kaz glanced at one another, "Scotty said it was okay." Willy's expression suddenly darkened, "Well then you tell him that! No, I'm not mad at you! No, I'm not!" She turned her back on the two boys, "No, I'm mad at Scotty because Scotty told me that you told him that it was okay!" She tapped her foot on the floor, "What do you mean 'there's been a new development'!?"

Tom mouthed the words "oh no" and Kaz nodded in agreement.

"But this is…but I…no, the whole thing is…" It seemed whoever was on the other end wasn't letting Willy get in a full sentence, "Tobias!" The woman shouted, "You _promised_ and the man _I_ married doesn't break his promises!"

Kaz felt his jaw drop and shared a shocked expression with Tom. Willy was _married_ to Tobias Khaos!? That meant that there were six Khaos brothers…and one Khaos sister.

"Alright…" Willy's voice was soft now, "Yes, hon, I know. Okay, I will. I love you. Me too. Bye." She shut the phone and set it back down on the panel. Then she turned to face the two teenagers who quickly wiped their faces clean of expression, "Right!" Her cocky smile had returned, "You two ready? Then head on through that door!" She opened the large door opposite the one they'd entered and shoved them through, slamming it shut behind them.

"Did you…get the feeling we were unwanted?" Tom asked but got no response because Kaz was staring in front of him with his mouth hanging open.

The two boys were standing in something like a press box at a football stadium only five times the normal size and filled with screens, control panels, and people in hazmat suits rushing about. Through the huge glass panels that made up most of the walls of the box, they could see a giant circular room with a raised dais in the middle. Lining the walls were large steel rings that seemed to vibrate and sent a thin humming noise through the air. Hanging in the air by thick cables above the dais and about twenty feet above the box was a gigantic steel sphere dotted with round bumps that glowed a soft orange color. Arching over the dais itself were metal spikes that met in the middle above the dais but didn't touch. Tom and Kaz could see figures in hazmat suits running too and fro on the floor below, doing who knew what.

"Hey! You the two boys Scotty sent through here?" A muscular man with bright red curly hair that bounced when he walked strolled up to them, "Uh, Tom and Kaz?"

"Yeah…" Tom said warily; there seemed to be plenty of strange and eccentric people around Khaos Corporation, "And you are?"

"Tony, Head Engineer of the Wormhole Generator Team." Tony was dressed in a black hazmat with red stripes outlined in white and there were two silver bands around his wrists and ankles instead of one. Everything about him spoke confidence and leadership, "I hope Willy didn't give you guys a hard time."

"No, no, not at all!" Kaz said a little too quickly and when Tony raised a thick red eyebrow, the boy hurriedly blurted out, "So have you fixed the problems with the Generator yet?"

Tom slapped his forehead in exasperation.

"Who told you?" Tony hissed and Kaz shrank back, "No one outside of Khaos Corporation is supposed to—."

"Tony!" Shouted an engineer, bursting into the box with a bang, "There's something happening downstairs! We don't know what it is but it looks like the wormhole's opening up again!"

Tony used a string of words neither Tom nor Kaz had ever heard before, snatched up a headset, and barreled past his fellow engineer and down the flight of stairs to the Generator. Not knowing what else to do (and always victims of curiosity) Tom and Kaz followed.

Chaos was an understatement.

Orange and blue whips of electricity crackled through the air from the giant sphere, connecting over the dais every so often and causing a huge flare of static that made everyone's hair stand on end. Every time this happened, another ring of color was added to the already swirling mass in the center of the dais. Red, red-orange, orange, yellow-orange, golden rod, yellow, neon green, yellow-green, green, emerald, and now a slight shade of turquoise spun in an oval shape, slowly, hypnotizing, shooting out sparks of white light every now and again.

Tony swore again, eyes wide, "It's never gotten this far before…" He put a hand to the mike running off the headset, "Greg, what's the status!?"

"_Off the charts, sir!"_ Came the return voice, audible even over the thrumming of the machine, _"I've never seen anything like it! 'Tis like the whole things building up en'gry from…somewheres else!"_

Another string of swear words, "Get the quantum separators back under control!" Tony shouted, going into control mode, "Shut down the main energy feed loop if you have to! Keep everyone away from the hole! Cut the power to half on the sphere implants! Sever the connection to—!"

Everything stopped.

* * *

Okay, unintentional cliff hanger, I _swear_! I didn't mean to cut it off like that but it was getting a little too long for my taste. But I'm going, I'm going…at the expense of 'Shadows Are Supposed to Stay Sleeping.' I'm going to be murdered in my sleep for that.

So anyway, see you at the next chapter! Please leave me a review and have a great day!


	6. The New Development

Well, I hadn't expected chapter five to turn out as long as it did so I chopped it off and stuck it in chapter six. But you guys already know that from that evil little cliffy I left you with, huh? Ooohh, don't worry…things are getting…_dicey_!

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**6: The "New Development"

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"_If time is one your side, what is on the other side?" –Anonymous

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_

Tony swore again, eyes wide, "It's never gotten this far before…" He put a hand to the mike running off the headset, "Greg, what's the status!?"

"_Off the charts, sir!"_ Came the return voice, audible even over the thrumming of the machine, _"I've never seen anything like it! 'Tis like the whole things building up en'gry from…somewheres else!"_

Another string of swear words, "Get the quantum separators back under control!" Tony shouted, going into control mode, "Shut down the main energy feed loop if you have to! Keep everyone away from the hole! Cut the power to half the sphere implants! Sever the connection to—!"

Everything stopped.

No more bolts of electricity cracked down from the sphere, the loud hum of the steel rings had ceased, and silence had fallen, thick as the first snow, upon the lot of them.

Tony's headset crackled and they all jumped.

"What's your reading?" The red-head asked in a hushed voice that still carried throughout the room.

"'_Tis stopped, sir."_ Came Greg's soft reply, _"There ain't nothin' there. No energy, no spikes, just…nothin'…"_

"That can't be…" Tony's gaze flickered over to the dais where the oval of colors still spun around lazily, "What's going on here?"

Kaz's heart was pounding in his ears, his breath was coming faster than usual, and he felt shaky and numb. Fear clawed at him. They were definitely in the wrong place to be at the moment. He took at step back.

The entire room shook and Tom wobbled on his feet, reaching out instinctively to grab Kaz for balance…only to find that Kaz wasn't there. Kaz was about two feet back, running for the stairs with panic etched clearly onto his face. Tom turned to follow when a wave of heat washed over his back and he turned around just in time to get a face full of brilliant white light and something slamming into his gut to send him flying through the air and crashing against the wall.

Dazed and with pain throbbing in the back of his head, Tom sluggishly got to his feet, trying to get his vision back after the blinding light. Everything came slowly into focus first as blurred lines and shapes, then as hazy figures, and finally jumped and settled into normalcy.

The engineers lay strewn everywhere, groaning as they attempted to get to their feet. None of them appeared to be seriously injured but it looked as though one guy did have a broken arm. Tony was already on his feet and surveying the damage from the blast. There were no scorch marks or any sort of indication that something had exploded, it was simply a wave of energy that had boiled over relatively harmlessly. The Head Engineer glanced at the dais but the swirling mass of colors was gone.

"KAZ!" The shout made him whirl around. He hadn't realized the two boys had followed him but that thought was blown from his mind and he dashed across the floor to Tom who was nearly having a panic attack over the position he found his best friend in.

Kaz was draped over the banister of the stairs to the control box, unconscious by the looks of things, with his glasses askew and a small cut on his forehead that had a trickle of blood dribbling down the side of his face.

"Calm down!" Tony said fiercely and Tom sucked in a calming breath that did nothing for the paleness of his complexion, "He's going to be fine, just get him to the Clinic." Tony glanced around, "Dorian," One of the men who had been uninjured trotted over, "Help Tom get his friend here to the Clinic."

Dorian nodded once, black hair falling into over his right eye in way that reminded Tom of the wanna-be emos at his high school. Dorian hefted the unconscious Kaz off the railing and shifted the boy around so he could carry him in his arms. Tom followed the man up the stairs, twisting his fingers around each other all the while. Willy was absent from the prep room when they walked through.

"You okay?" Dorian asked, a thick, German accent evident in his speech and Tom nodded mutely, still in partial shock, "No concussion?" Tom shook his head, "Ach, you are a bad liar. Shock, _ja_?"

"What about _you_?" Tom retorted, suddenly finding his voice as they neared the emergency elevator.

"_Nein_, I'm fine. This one though," Dorian tilted his head at Kaz, "He might have a heck of a headache when he wakes up!" The man smiled, "Push the button, will you?"

Tom did as he was told and as they waited for the elevator to show up, Kaz suddenly shifted and groaned, screwing up his eyes to fight off the pain in his head.

"Is he waking up?" Tom asked hopefully.

"_Macht nichts_," Dorain replied as the elevator doors opened and they stepped inside, "He's still going to the Clinic." The German man shot a hard, green-eyed glare at Tom, "And so are you, _ja_?"

Um…_ja_?" Tom replied in a horrible imitation. Dorian laughed and Kaz made an odd whimpering noise, opening his eyes slowly. The usual bright brown was filmed with a disoriented glaze.

"Did I lose?" He muttered, slurring his words slightly. Tom hid a smile behind his hand, not trusting himself to speak for fear of laughing at his disoriented friend. He was saved answering by the "ding" of the elevator doors. A single stretch of hallway with two doors at the end was laid out before them. Tom followed Dorian down the hallway and through the door to the left, swallowing his laughter with much effort as Kaz asked again if he'd lost.

* * *

Tom fell asleep in the Clinic as the nurses attended to Kaz. They'd dabbed some alcohol on the bump on the back of his head and given him so pain killers but he'd soon gotten bored and drifted off into a thankfully dreamless sleep.

When he woke up again, the room was quiet and the crimson and black curtains were drawn around the small bed he'd fallen to sleep in. Someone had taken the liberty of removing the hazmat suit and his shoes and socks. Rubbing the sleep from his blue eyes, the black-haired boy swung his legs over the side of the bed and put his bare feet on the cold, white tile floor. Then he cracked his neck and pushed the curtains aside. There was one other set of curtains drawn around the bed next to his and he stuck his head through.

"Hey Kaz," He said with a smile and the other boy shot a glare at him, "Whoa! What was _that_ look for!?"

Kaz uncrossed his arms from across his chest and straightened up, indicating the Band-Aid on his forehead, "What is _this_!?"

"Um…a Band-Aid."

"And what's _under_ the Band-Aid!?"

"A…cut?"

"Yes!" Kaz exploded out from underneath the covers of the bed, sending blankets everywhere, and was on his feet, toe-to-toe with Tom, "When my parents find out they'll never let me go anywhere again unless I'm covered in BUBBLE WRAP!"

"Easy, Kaz! It'll heal before summer's out and your parents will never have to know!" Tom stared his best friend down with a raised eyebrow and Kaz fell back onto the bed with a sigh.

"Sorry, I was overreacting. The whole…Generator thing freaked me out." The red head ran a hand through his spiky hair.

"Really," Tom said in a sarcastic voice, "I hadn't noticed."

"Oh, ha, ha." Kaz shot back unable to get past his irritation, "Listen, I'm going back there tomorrow whether Tobias gives me permission or not."

"Well that's gusty of you." Tom teased and ducked the fist Kaz swung at him, "Calm down! Why do want to go back there anyway? Wanna see if you can clear the stair way in the next explosion?" He dodged another punch, "Come on, Kaz! You know I'm teasing!"

"Something's _up_ with that Wormhole Generator! Levi was right, it is trying to open somewhere other than Chaotic and Perim and I want to know where to!" An excited glint shone in Kaz's chocolate eyes and he grinned.

"'Revenge of the Nerd'!" Tom laughed and Kaz threw his shoe at him.

* * *

It hadn't worked.

He stared blankly at it. If he'd been able to express it, he supposed half of him would be happy that it hadn't succeeded and that the other half would be disappointed.

He hadn't done any decent hunting in a while.

Then again, was the thrill of combat worth the risk of destroying the lives of people who were ignorant of their ways? Probably not, he supposed.

"You look tired." Said a voice, "Sleeping much?"

"I'm fine." He lied; his dreams had been haunted by that _boy_ again, whoever he was, "Do you think we'll ever get this to work?"

"Hmmm…" His companion rubbed his fingers over his chin thoughtfully, "Maybe. I figure busting into someplace that isn't even remotely connected by the ways we or normal humans travel is pretty tough."

"It's isolated." He muttered, turning away to look at its hazy existence, "And lonely. How can _anyone_ be happy in a world like that?"

"Aw, come on!" An arm dropped around his shoulders and spun him away, "You've been spending too much time around those sticks-in-the-mud! You gotta learn to relax!" The taller companion laughed and tapped a finger to his forehead, "Got it memorized?"

* * *

A little short, maybe, but I figured that was a good a place to stop as any. And I totally just gave away what this is crossed over with. Well, to anyone who recognizes a certain catch phrase, anyway.

I don't know why I continue to update this, anyway. I haven't gotten a single review from you guys. I mean, come on, I know Chaotic isn't all over the place and it doesn't even have its own category on this site but I'd really like a review please! I can't really threaten to stop this 'cause then what would I do with all these pent up ideas? Geez, I think I'd explode worse than the Generator!  
How's this, I'll keep writing but unless I get at least _one_ friendly (and I emphasize _friendly_; I've had some really rude people leave me reviews lately) review…not one chapter will be posted! You hear me!?

**Feed the starving authoress, people! Come on! I will NOT post anymore chapters unless I get at least ONE review! I'm freaking serious!**

There. I've had my say. Now it's up to you guys. I'm sorry I had to get nasty but, hey, you win some, you lose some.  
Thanks for reading anyway and have a great day! Byes!


	7. Khaos Family

You people are _wonderful_! I wasn't expecting to get a review, let alone three big ones! Oh, geez, I could just hug you all! Syuveil caught a "reference" to a certain game! Ha, ha, ha! You guys are getting clever! Hang in there, we're getting to the goodies!

(P.S. Does anyone know the name of the Mipedian ruler and the Danian queen? PM me if you do because for the life of me I cannot remember! Thanks!)

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**7: Khaos Family  
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"_Things are never quite as scary when you've got a best friend." –Calvin from "Calvin and Hobbes" by Bill Watterson

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_

"You made Willy mad at Tobias, Scotty." Joseph said flatly, staring his brother in the eye. Scotty squirmed beneath the gaze of his sibling and glanced at his twin who was pointedly looking in another direction.

"Did not," Scotty muttered back sullenly, "Tobias said it was okay. I called him!" The Khaos brother chewed on his lip, "But then he said he called Willy and told her not to let them in because of a "new development." In fact," Scotty frowned at Joseph, "He just called a few minutes ago and told me the Wormhole Generator exploded with excess energy from an unknown source."

"Yes, I know." Joseph replied testily, drumming his fingers on the arm rest of the chair he sat in. The three brothers were on the top floor of the Khaos Corporation building; their living quarters, "Izaak has a theory that it might be someone from the other side trying to get through to us."

"What, like a Creature!?" Conner's attention was suddenly back on his brothers, "You don't think it's…Omar…do you?"

"Might be," Joseph stood up and walked over to the window to stare out over the Hoarfrost Crests, "But where would he get the technology to do that? Not from a Code Scanner."

"Tobias keeps careful tabs on the status of every single Code Scanner out there," Scotty said, drawing his knees up to his chin like a child caught doing something naughty, "And there's not a single one missing or broken. The only oddities come when someone tries to port to Chaotic; even though we told them not to."

"Spikes in the energy coming from the Generator." Conner continued with a solemn nod, "And a nasty headache for anyone trying to port." The twin rubbed a hand through his hair, sending it into messy spikes, "Are you absolutely _sure_ we shouldn't send the kids home?"

"Tobias is against it." Joseph rested his forehead against the cool glass and closed his eyes, "And he's giving me so much grief about the string of code that was off…"

"We're all stressed out." Scotty muttered and then grinned, "But we can't let our guests know!"

* * *

Tom and Kaz wandered out of the Clinic and down the stairs back into the Cafeteria. The Cafeteria itself was divided into four parts plus the enormous kitchen. Each of the four rooms; separated by walls and double doors; was painted to reflect one of the four tribes of Perim. Motivation for the people working at Khaos Corporation was not hard to come by.

"Say, have you noticed how empty this building suddenly seems?" Tom asked as they made their way across the Danian themed room of the Cafeteria.

"Well there _are_ thirty floors." Kaz pointed out.

"Yeah, but this is a major company with tons of stuff to keep track of. You'd think there'd been tons of people running all over the place. Something more like, I dunno, a hospital."

Kaz frowned at the analogy; not a big fan of hospitals having spent too much time in them himself; but considered Tom's hypothesis. It made sense; Khaos Corporation was large enough to be small village in of itself but it seemed all the villagers had disappeared. Or run away. Kaz's train of thought vanished as they stepped into the Underworld themed room where they'd left the rest of the teenagers.

"Where's Scotty?" Tom wondered aloud as he looked around the room for the copper haired twin.

"In a meeting," Said a voice at their shoulder and both boys jumped and turned around to see a man with dirty-blonde hair and kind navy blue eyes hovering there, "He left me in charge. Izaak Khaos is the name, pleasure to meet the two boys who watched the Generator explode!" He sounded like he meant it as he gave both their hands a hearty shake.

"Uh, yeah, wonderful…" Tom muttered, "Exploding Generators…heh, heh…"

Kaz rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, "I'm going back there tomorrow." He huffed and Izaak raised an eyebrow at him, "There's something weird going on here and—!"

"_Yeah, I gotta keep quiet, quiet! Don't let it all come undone! 'Cause if I dare open my mouth, it'll just be to bite me tongue! To bite my—!"_ Izaak's cell phone was out of his pocket and in his hand in a flash.

"Yeah?" He grinned, giving the two boy's a thumbs up sign. Kaz was baffled; how many times were they going to be interrupted by cell phone ringtones in one day!? The twelve teenagers all watched as Izaak's expression became deadly serious, "Really? Yeah, I know I said that it might be a Creature but that doesn't mean it is." A pause, "That's what Tobias said; there's nothing wrong with—no, they didn't." Those navy blue eyes flickered over Tom and Kaz, "But what about—? Alright…" Izaak shut his phone and stowed it back in his pocket, "Sorry guys," He announced to the on looking teens, "We're going to have to send you back to your cabins for the rest of the day."

"Why?" Asked the Gothic looking girl crossly.

"Technical problems." Izaak replied evasively, "Now, shoo!"

Kaz's chocolate eyes narrowed as he and Tom followed the rest of the group out of the Cafeteria, down the stairs, and across the Glass Bridge. There was something more than a little trouble with a Wormhole Generator going on here. Probably…someone else trying to get through. Kaz shuddered.

He hoped it wouldn't the same way as his nightmare.

* * *

Tobias took off his trench coat and threw it over the back of a chair. Then he walked through the living room of the private apartment he shared with his wife and into the kitchen. He opened the fridge door, bent over to look inside, and finally pulled out a tinted glass bottle. He popped the top off, tossed it in the trashcan, and walked back into the living room to fall into a chair. Then he took a long drink from his beer.

"You'll get a headache if you drink too fast." Said a sing-song voice and Tobias smiled to himself as he turned his head to look at Willy. She had discarded her usual eccentric clothing and was wearing a simple black T-shirt with the words "Will Work For Chocolate" printed on it in green letters and a pair of cut off shorts. Two suitcases sat on either side of her.

"Winifred…" He murmured, setting his drink down and standing up to wrap his arms around her, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I'm making you leave, I'm sorry I'm giving you so much grief, and I'm sorry I haven't been there for you."

"Sap." Willy muttered but kissed him deeply anyway.

"Tobias and Willy sitten' in a tree!" Two identical voice chanted from the doorway, "K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

"Shut up you two!" Joseph pushed Scotty and Conner through the doorway by smacking the back of their heads, "And grow up some!"

"Awwwww," The twins said at the same time again, "If we grew up it'd be no fun being Codemasters!"

Tobias rolled his eyes, unable to hide his smile. You could never get a moment of peace and quiet around his brothers but that was why he loved them so much. Leon trailed in and Izaak followed shortly after. Leon eyed the packed suitcases at Willy's feet.

"So, you're leaving?" He asked; Leon may have seemed like an emotionless lump of a person but his sister-in-law was one of the few people who could make him smile.

"Tobias is kicking me out." Willy replied with a fake pout on her face.

"It's getting…dangerous." Tobias' smile had vanished and he sat back in his chair to take another drink.

"Then we should send the kids home!" Leon growled, clenching his fists, "You _knew_ it would come to this! You _knew_ things were going to get dodgy and yet you _insisted_ they remain because of a stupid _promise_!"

"Enough!" Joseph barked but Tobias raised a hand to silence him. All eyes traveled over to the oldest Khaos brother.

"Yes, Leon, I knew it could get risky." Tobias' voice was soft and even but there was an excited glint in the eyes behind his glasses, "What I didn't know was that someone else was going to try and break through from the other side of the Wormhole."

"Then it's true…" Izaak whispered, eyes wide as he sat heavily upon the nearby love seat.

"And that's why I'm sending Willy and the majority of the staff to their respective homes." Tobias drained his beer, "The rest of them will remain in close proximity to the Cafeteria; it's one of the safest spots in the building."

"You don't think…Creatures are actually gonna…_invade_ us, do you, Toby?" Scotty used the pet name for his brother; something he and his twin only did when they got extremely nervous about something.

"I can't answer that." Tobias closed his eyes and rested his head against the back of the chair.

Things were getting…chaotic.

* * *

Kaz denied Tom's request to play some video games and locked the door to his cabin. He knew he was acting like a bit of a jerk but there was a lot on his mind. And he needed to get it off.

The spiky haired teen stuck a bag of popcorn into the microwave and then strolled over to the case of movies and started looking over the titles. There were too many to go through before his popcorn was finished so he grabbed _Spiderman 3_ from the shelf, stuck it in the DVD player, and went to retrieve his food from the kitchen.

* * *

Lame little ending, maybe, but I needed to put in something after all that trauma. I've got _Spiderman 3_ on my PSP. I like the _Spiderman_ movies though I think _Ironman_ beat them by a long shot! Ha!

Anyway, have no fear! The good stuff is coming…in the next chapter! That's right! DEATH! BLOOD! PEOPLE DYING EVERYWHERE!! MWAHAHAHAHA! Okay, no, not really. I just wanted to do that.

I just realized I'd been forgetting to put in disclaimers for the songs! So here we are. From chapter 2, "Blow My Mind" by Big and Rich. From chapter 5, "Everything Back But You" by Avril Lavine. And from this chapter, "Bite My Tongue" by Relient K.

Thanks for reading, please leave me a review, and byes!


	8. Better Find a Place to Hide

And now we're getting to the good stuff! Ooohhh, I've been waiting for forever to write this! Anyway, this chapter's pretty short only because there's so much awesomeness in the next one that it makes up for it. XD

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**8: Better Find a Place to Hide

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"_There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it." –Alfred Hitchcock

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"It's late, why aren't you asleep?"

"It's always late here. It's always dark. Why should I sleep?"

"'Cause…well, geez, you know I really don't have a reason."

"Hmph." He doesn't look away from the endless sweep of buildings stretched out before him.

"What's that look on your face?"

"What look?"

"You're mad at _him_, aren't you? You don't want him to do it."

"Of course I do! I just…don't think he's going about it the right way."

"Pessimist."

"You shouldn't be talking."

* * *

Kaz had not slept very well that night. His sleep was haunted by the remnants of his nightmare from the science fair. He'd woken up three times in the middle of the night and two of the times had run to the bathroom across the hall to splash cold water on his face and make sure he really _was_ awake.

Tom had slept no better. Unlike Kaz, though, he had not been plagued by nightmares. Rather, his mind had refused to settle down. Thoughts continued to churn through his head and just when he was about to fall asleep, another dark deliberation would jolt him awake. Most of it was about what exactly was going on with the Wormhole Generator and Khaos Corporation as a whole.

So when the two met up outside the Glass Bridge the next morning, they took one look at each other and laughed.

"You got freaked by the Generator too!" Kaz chuckled, pointing an accusing finger at his best friend as they headed for the Cafeteria again.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah!" Tom waved his hand through the air like he could get rid of Kaz's teasing words, "But _I'm_ less likely to faint the next time it explodes!"

"Hey!" Kaz stopped in his tacks just outside the Cafeteria doors, "That's not funny! As much as I hate my parents treating me like a disabled five year old, I hate it even more when you make fun of my fainting spells!"

"Don't act like you're mad at me when you're not!" Tom laughed, brushing past Kaz to walk into the Cafeteria.

"I am _so_ mad at you!" Kaz protested quickly catching up and shoving Tom with his shoulder.

"Are not!" Tom shoved back, digging his elbow into Kaz's side and making the other boy cringe away.

"Are to!"

"Are not!"

"Are to!"

"Are not!"

"Are—!"

* * *

He ran full tilt into the room, tugging his arm through his sleeve, and nearly barreled over the group standing just inside the door. Icey white light was pouring from the opening as it spun faster and faster, gaining form as it went.

"No! You'll break past Perim!" He shouted, trying to shove his way past them but one of them grabbed his arm and hauled him backwards, "You'll get into _their_ world!"

"Don't be stupid!" Growled the mocking voice of the one holding him back, "We're being careful, no one's going to get hur—."

There was an almighty _CRACK_ and all their carefully laid plans fell apart.

* * *

A tremor that started from the bowels of the building and trembled its way all the way up to the top caused everyone in the Cafeteria to look around in wonder. Tom and Kaz shared a terrified look; that shake felt very similar to what they had experienced by the Wormhole Generator…on a much bigger scale. Kaz took off, bolting out of the Cafeteria and heading for the stairs. Tom caught up with him and grabbed his best friend's arm, effectively stopping him.

"Tom, what're you doing!?"

"Are you _crazy_!? Going back there!?" Tom's blue eyes were rimmed in white, "Do you _want_ to get thrown over the stairwell again!?"

"Coward by nature I may be," Kaz snapped, yanking his arm away, "But curiosity is virtue!" He took off again.

"Yeah!? Well curiosity also _killed _the cat!" Tom tackled Kaz to the floor and two boys got into a tussle.

Tom pinned Kaz to the floor but Kaz wasn't the push over he'd been since middle school. He arched his back and rolled over, throwing Tom to the floor. But as the spiky haired boy leapt up again, Tom's hand closed around his ankle and sent him crashing to the floor. Kaz pulled but Tom latched on with his other hand and pulled back with much more effect. Kaz was dragged a quarter of the way down the hall on his stomach before another tremor knocked Tom over again.

Kaz took the opportunity to yank his leg away and sprint for the stairwell. Tom was back on his feet and after him in an instant. An instant too late. Kaz had too much of a head start.

Dread made Tom's mouth dry out.  
Kaz was headstrong, sure, but like he'd said himself…he was a coward.

If worst came to worst, Kaz could have an attack.

And that was _not_ something Tom ever wanted to see again.

* * *

"Close it! Quickly!" The dark-skinned man with the golden eyes ordered, "Close it now!"

"It's too late!" He shouted back, "They're already heading straight towards it!"

Those ferocious golden eyes narrowed as they bored into his own neon blue ones, "Then head them off."

* * *

There was no one to stop the two teenaged boys that were racing down the stairs.

There was no guard at the door to check for a pass.

There was no Willy there to halt them in their tracks.

Everyone, it seemed, had left.

Tom and Kaz paused for breath outside the door to the Wormhole Generator as another vibration rocked the building even more.

"You…are…an…idiot…!" Tom gasped, wiping sweat from his forehead and gulping air at the same time, "I can't _believe_ you!? What happened to…to "going out there and fainting", huh?"

Kaz shrugged, still trying to get enough breath back to fill his lungs.

Something like the sound of tearing metal came from beyond the door. Tom yanked the door open and they both ducked inside.

Pandemonium reigned.

Engineers were everywhere in blurs of color, ringing shouts sounded even over the thrum of power from the Wormhole Generator. Kaz pushed his way through the crowd and stuck his head out the door. His eyes widened as what he saw took away the breath he'd just gotten back.

In the middle of the dais, connected to the hanging sphere by ropes of dark violet electricity, was what could only be described as a rip. It was as though someone had grabbed the fabric of the universe in their hands and forcibly ripped it apart, leaving jagged, burning edges behind. This…this "tear" showed only a sliver of black beyond its red and violet borders that appeared to be on fire.

Another shudder of the building threw Kaz and Tom down the stairs and to the floor. Tom was on his feet first and helped Kaz find his balance again. The two made their way over to the hypnotizing rip on the dais, shaking with fear but driven by the curiosity only a teen could have.

Tony stepped in their way just as they approached the dais.

"What do you think you're _doing_!?" He screamed, his eyes burning with rage, fear, and confusion, "Get out of here! This is too dangerous! I knew Tobias shouldn't have let you brats stay here but noooooo! He had to go and play the he—!"

The sword the suddenly sprouted from his chest cut off his words.

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I'm just throwing cliffhangers around like candy at a parade, aren't I? Well, geez, I'm nasty. Anyway, thank you guys for reviewing and please keep doing so! I like to hear from the readers! Feedback is AWESOME!


	9. The Parting of Kazdan Kalinkas

And now…

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**9: The Parting of Kazdan Kalinkas

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"_Even if I saved the world, if I lost my friends, my life would shatter. So please don't die. Don't disappear." –Lenalee from Katsura Hoshino's '-Man'

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_

Another shudder of the building threw Kaz and Tom down the stairs and to the floor. Tom was on his feet first and helped Kaz find his balance again. The two made their way over to the hypnotizing rip on the dais, shaking with fear but driven by the curiosity only a teen could have.

Tony stepped in their way just as they approached the dais.

"What do you think you're _doing_!?" He screamed, his eyes burning with rage, fear, and confusion, "Get out of here! This is too dangerous! I knew Tobias shouldn't have let you brats stay here but noooooo! He had to go and play the he—!"

The sword the suddenly sprouted from his chest cut off his words.

Tony blinked at the sword. It was black and red and curved like a crescent moon. He raised a shaky hand to touch it when it suddenly twisted and eased itself out of his chest.

Kaz screamed and fainted.

That was all anyone needed.

The engineers started screaming and running from the rip as fast as they could. Tony collapsed to the floor, his body disappearing into burst of white and blue light. Large yellow eyes were blinking out of the darkness beyond the rift. Tom stared at them for a moment or two before someone jostled him and he remembered something very important.

They needed to get out.

Tom grabbed his unconscious best friend under the arms and dragged him away from the dais. The stairs were harder to maneuver as everyone was trying to get up them at once but the boy managed. Once in the control box, he gave a quick glance to the floor below. Black things, as dark as shadows, were swarming out of the rip, scuttling around like insects. Tom shuddered and hauled Kaz out of the control box and into the room Willy usually occupied. By this time, it was completely empty.

Tom propped Kaz up behind one of the benches and slid down beside him, panting with the panic induced adrenaline rush. Whatever had happened, it was scarier than anything he'd seen in Perim. Some_thing_ had just killed Tony.

An odd rippling noise caught the boy's attention and he peered over the top of the bench to see five figures all dressed in identical black cloaks with their hoods up were materializing from strange ovals of darkness that flicked tentacles of dark energy into the air before collapsing in on themselves and fading away.

Tom couldn't stop the squeak of fear the slipped out of him.

One of the figures spun around, saw those terrified blue eyes, and strode over. They yanked Tom to his feet and hissed in an accented voice, "Get out of here if you value your heart."

"But…Kaz…" The man (based on the sound of his voice) turned his head to look at the unconscious Kaz on the floor. Then he stretched out a gloved hand and murmured something odd. Green light sparkled over Kaz's form and the boy groaned, opening his eyes groggily.

"Now GO!" The man snapped and went to join his companions who had vanished through the door to the Wormhole Generator.

"Tom?" Kaz pushed himself to his feet, shaking his head, "Am I…was that a…dream?"

"We have to _move_!" Tom grabbed Kaz's wrist and practically flung him out of the door and into the hall, "Whatever's coming out of that…that _hole_ just k-k-killed Tony!" Tom's throat constricted as he said the words but they got Kaz to move.

The boys took the stairs down as fast as they could, adrenaline numbing anything that would normally slow them down. They made it to the ninth floor landing when a black pool in the center of the stairs before them made them freeze. Something wiggled in the pool and rose out of it.

No…a handful of something's.

Armored warriors just barely taller than Tom himself with darkness beneath their helmets and glowing yellow eyes that stared at him hungrily. Steel swords clattered as they moved forward.

Tom and Kaz both screamed and dove out the door way to run full tilt down one of the ninth floor hallways. Tom glanced at his best friend. Kaz was pale, his steps shaky and faltering slightly, and his breath was coming short and quick. Too quick. Kaz was close to fainting again. Or worse. The two boys dashed down several hallways before finding another staircase to run down.

_Where are we supposed to go!?_ Tom wondered franticly as they leapt down several flights of stairs, _What are we supposed to do!?_

They dodged into a sixth floor storage hall and paused behind some boxes to try and catch their breath. Kaz sank down with his back to the wall and his eyes closed and Tom slid down next to him.

"What do we do…!?" Kaz panted in a whisper, chest rising and falling dangerously quickly, "What do we do!? What do we do!? What do we do!?"

"I dunno!" Tom hissed back, fearing not only for himself but for his best friend as well, "Those…those _things_ are everywhere! I don't think they're from Perim!"

Kaz seized up suddenly, gritting his teeth, and Tom looked at him anxiously but the spiky haired boy breathed out quickly, loosing his tensed muscles, and sagged against the wall. He looked worse than Tom felt.

"_Attention all…um…humans! Attention all humans! Make your way as quickly as possible towards the Cafeteria! I repeat! The Cafeteria!"_ A melodious voice rang over the intercom and Tom and Kaz looked at the ceiling, _"If you see any of the strange creatures just run in the opposite direction! Do not attempt to fight them! All humans make your way to the Cafeteria! Um…end of transmiss—!"_ There was a scraping of static, the sounds of people arguing, the strumming of a stringed instrument, and then a screeching noise. Then silence.

Tom and Kaz shared a glance.

"I guess we'd better head towards the Cafeteria…" Tom muttered, "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah…" Kaz wheezed, pushing himself slowly to his feet, "My chest hurts and I'm shaking all over but I think I'll stay conscious for a while longer. Long enough to get to the Cafeteria at least."

After peeking around the boxes to make sure the coast was clear, the boys took off down the hall, running as fast as they could. To their ears, their footsteps rang out extremely loud and their breath was like a whirlwind but they saw nothing for the next three floors.

"Wait…Tom…I need…to…catch my…breath…" Kaz sagged against a wall, hand to his chest, breath coming up short, "I can't…keep this up…much…longer…" He pulled his glasses off and wiped sweat from his face with the back of his hand, "How much…farther?"

"One more floor…I think…" Tom was out of breath too but not nearly as much as Kaz. The combined force of fear and running down five floors had sent his adrenaline into a frenzy. Tom was amazed that Kaz wasn't on the floor twitching already. He was fighting with everything he had to stay conscious. Kaz's will to live through this was incredible.

Something snorted and clattered at the other end of the hall and Tom looked up to see one a centaur like creature with a huge, hulking frame and a wicked spear in one hand looming at the opposite end, the same place they'd just come from. It smashed its spear into the floor, cracking it and sending splinters of tile everywhere. Then it crouched low, snorting, and blue-white energy began to swirl around it.

"Kaz! We have to go! Now!" Tom grabbed his best friend's wrist and ran down the hall just as the centaur thing blasted off, charging down the hall with amazing speed despite its large size.

"Right!" Kaz yelped and they both fell head over heels into a connecting hallway, leaving the creature to smash into the wall where it lay, dazed. The boys didn't give it a second thought instead barreling down the hall, trying to find a staircase.

Out of the frying pan and into the fire…

A door burst open as they ran past it and another one of the centaur creatures jabbed its spear out, almost catching Kaz in the side. Kaz flipped back, pressing himself against the wall and sucking his stomach in for an instant and then ducked under the spear to catch up with Tom. In his haste, he tripped over his own feet and fell face first to the floor.

Scrambling, desperate, barely able to draw breath, he pushed himself to his feet and took off running again.

Or he would have had a spear not suddenly stabbed through his back and pin him to the floor.

Kaz's eyes widened as he found himself pinned against the tile. The first thing his fractured and shocked mind thought was, _Hey…where's the blood?_ And then he screamed.

Tom was already at the end of the hall when he heard the piercing scream and turned to see Kaz held to the floor by a spear protruding from his back and one of the centaurs standing over him.

"KAZ!"

Kaz's vision blurred with tears and he scraped his fingers across the floor, trying to get away. Lights were bursting behind his eyes, his heart was pounding, his head swimming. Agony tore at every inch of him. All he could do was scream.

Tom dived forward only to be pulled back by a sturdy arm around his waist. It was one of the people in the black cloaks.

"NO! LET GO OF ME! KAZ! KAAAAAAZZZZZZ!"

Tom's eyes were burning, he could feel the tears slipping down his cheeks as he struggled against the hold of the person who'd grabbed him. They were dragging him back down the hall, away from Kaz, away from his best friend who was screaming in agony.

The centaur thing yanked its spear out, making Kaz scream even louder, and turned to face Tom and the person pulling him away. But Tom's eyes were on Kaz.

Kaz's body was dissolving in bursts of white and golden light, black tendrils flickering over him before vanishing again.

In seconds, Kaz was gone.

"Kaz…?" Tom hung limp in the person's arms as they dragged him away quickly into an impenetrable darkness, "Kaz…?"

* * *

Yes I did.

Yes, this is crossed over with Kingdom Hearts and, yes, Kaz just lost his heart.

I'm so evil.

Please leave me a review and…tell me what you thought. As always, thanks for reading.


	10. A Piece of the Heart

Ah, the inevitable "long-and-boring-everybody-talking" chapter. Well, explanations are in order, I'm afraid. How else are we gonna get Kaz back? Wait, we _are_ gonna get Kaz back, right? Right!?

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**10: A Piece of the Heart

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"_Better to be without logic than without feeling." –Charlotte Bronte

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The darkness vanished and a swell of voices rang in Tom's ears. But he was in too much shock to notice. The person who'd been dragging him along let him go, grabbed his shoulders, and turned him around to face him, pushing his hood back as he did so. A man with flame-red, spiky hair that jutted out in all directions, brilliant green eyes, and two, triangular marks just underneath his eyes gazed at him with something like a pathetic imitation of concern on his face.

"Hey, kid, you okay?"

"Kaz…" Tom's harsh whisper sounded distant, even to himself, "He can't be d-dead…that's impossible…Kaz can't d-d-die…that's not…how it works…"

"Axel, what's going on!?" Another black robed person, probably a man by the sound of it, with his hood still up appeared at the red haired man's shoulder, "What's wrong with this one?"

"Eh…" Axel let go of Tom who sagged backwards into a chair, still muttering, "Saw a Heartless take out his friend."

"That's ten people so far!" The other man jolted, silver tassels on his hood clinking, and swore loudly "The Superior's going to have our heads!" And he dashed off in a swirl of black.

Something in Tom's head snapped.

"He's not dead!" He screamed, throwing himself at Axel's feet, tears streaming unchecked down his face, fists clenched in the thick fabric of the black cloak, "He can't be! He's just not! He's not! Tell me he's not! Tell me it's not true!"

"Uh…kid…I can't…" Axel was attempting to pry Tom's hands off him but the boy just cried even louder and everyone else in the room was turning to stare at the spectacle, "Look, kid, he's not dead, okay! He just lost his heart! Though he might be better off dead…!" He grabbed Tom's wrists and shoved him backwards, "Stop your bawling and listen to me!" Tom hiccupped and stared, tears still trickling from his eyes, "He just lost his heart. Lost. His. Heart. Got it memorized?"

Tom blinked at him and Axel sighed, "I'll take that as a no. Whatever. Just…sit down and be quiet, okay. We're trying to fix things the best we can."

"GET AWAY FROM HIM!" Tobias roared, lunging at Axel, grabbing the back of the red-head's cloak, and hauling him away from Tom with surprising strength, "I DON'T KNOW WHO YOU PEOPLE ARE OR HOW YOU GOT HERE BUT SEVERAL MEMBERS OF MY STAFF ARE MISSING AND I WANT TO KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON HERE!"

Silence.

"T-Tobias…" Conner said in a hushed voice and the eldest Khaos brothers' flashing eyes zeroed in on his younger sibling, "Th-there's only eleven kids. W-we're missing one."

"Kaz…" Tom croaked out and Tobias looked down at the boy slumped in the chair, "Those things…they…got him…he's…he's…"

"You…" Tobias' voice rumbled, low and dangerous as he turned his fearsome glare upon Axel who stood his ground, "You've endangered the lives of countless people. Nine members of my staff have failed to report to me. And now…one of my _honored_ guests has been…" Tobias shuddered and closed his eyes briefly to try and control his temper, "They were under _my_ protection but I'm placing this on _your_ heads!"

"Fine!" Axel sneered slowly raising a hand up so it was level with his chest, "But know that this is on _your_ head!"

"Axel!" Snapped a chilling voice and the red-head froze, frowning over his shoulder at another figure in a black cloak. The person had their hood back, revealing silky blue-silver hair and calculatingly icy yellow eyes, "That's _enough_. Go with Roxas and Demyx, they're erecting a barrier around the building and this Cafeteria." When Axel didn't move, the man's hair seemed to stand on end, "_Now_."

Axel snorted but turned on his heel, waved his hand, and disappeared into the dark oval he'd created. It sank into itself as soon as the tail of his cloak had vanished. The yellow-eyed man blinked at Tobias and the still stunned Tom before calmly turning his back and walking out of the room.

The rest of the Khaos brothers, the handful of staff Tobias had allowed to remain at Khaos Corporation, and the ten other teenagers were all staring at the spot where Axel had created the strange portal.

"Thomas," Tobias said in a soft, comforting voice, " Come with me." Without waiting for an answer, the man grabbed the black-haired boy under the arm, hefted him up, and dragged him into the kitchen. Once there, he sat him on the counter like a five year old getting a lecture and started rummaging through one of the many cupboards.

"He was…my best friend…" Tom's voice shuddered as he stared at the floor, tears still trickling slowly down his already stained cheeks, "And I was…he…wh-why couldn't I…do a-a-anything to…save hi-him…?"

"You can't always play the hero, Thomas." Tobias had his back to the boy and was now setting a measuring cup full of water into the microwave. The buttons beeped as he keyed in the appropriate time, "Sometimes things happen that you can't stop and you need to accept that." The man turned around, pushing his glasses up his nose with a single finger, "Are you going to be okay?"

"No…" Tom buried his face in his hands and started shaking, his shoulders heaving with the sobs he was trying to contain, "K-Kaz was m-my b-b-best friend…I l-let him d-d-down…what're his p-parents…P-Peyton and S-S-Sarah will n-never for-forgive me…"

The microwave beeped and Tobias turned back around to carefully remove the steaming cup of water from the machine. He poured the hot liquid into two black coffee mugs emblazed with the Chaotic symbol and then stirred in a hot chocolate mix and added a few tiny marshmallows. He handed one to Tom who rubbed his eyes furiously and took the mug.

"Didn't know if you wanted marshmallows or not." The eldest Khaos brother commented as he propped himself against the counter opposite the distraught teen, "So, tell me about Kazdan."

Tom took a slow sip from his mug, staring without really seeing at the floor and swinging his legs through the air from the counter top, "We met…when h-he moved to my hometown from Chicago. We were b-both…eight years old."

"How'd you meet?"

Tom let a shaky smile flicker across his lips but it vanished almost as soon as it had appeared, "We both liked Chaotic. We were too young to have Code Scanners…but we both liked…the online game." The boy took another drink, "When we were t-ten…his mom took us t-to the park and…" Tom swallowed thickly, shuddering at the memory, and tightened his fingers around the arm mug of coco.

"Go on, Thomas." Tobias urged gently, taking a drink of his own hot chocolate but never taking his eyes off the boy.

Tom squeezed his eyes shut and a few stray tears leaked out, "He f-fell off the…the domed monkey bar…things…" He made a vague, round, gesture with his hand, "And b-broke his leg. And then he started to…to…" Tom shook his head, unwilling to continue.

"I know his medical record." Tobias said in a flat sort of voice that made Tom look up at him, "I know he suffers from such a unique medical condition that causes a severe reaction to his body when his adrenaline spikes too high." The man's lips twisted into a thin smile, "We keep a close eye on those in Chaotic who have medical conditions. There are programs in the Code Scanners that prevent harsh problems but we can't eliminate everything."

"He was the one who showed me Perim." Tom said quietly, "I didn't believe him when he told me about making friends with Creatures like Chaor and traveling across Perim to the Underworld. I told him he was just being a kid." Tom rubbed a hand across his face and took another sip, "Even though I was being a jerk about it…he stuck by me and he didn't shove it in my face the first time I went to Chaotic." Tom's hands started shaking, "And now he's dead! What am I gonna do!?"

"He's not dead." Said a young voice and the two looked around to see a short hooded figure in the now familiar black cloak standing just inside the closed door of the kitchen, "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt." The figure pushed back their hood to reveal a boy probably no older than Tom with shockingly bright neon blue eyes and golden brown hair that was spiked off to one side, "I'm Number XIII, Roxas, The Key of Destiny and the Keyblade Master."

"Titles mean little when it comes to your group." Tobias hissed but Roxas didn't flinch.

"I know you're angry but give me the chance to explain what's going on. Axel's already doing the same for your friends outside."

"Explain away, it doesn't make me hate you less." The eldest Khaos brother said and drained his mug, setting it on the counter with a thud.

"Where to start…" Roxas murmured and then ran a hand through is spiky locks, "There are thousands of worlds and all of them are connected somehow. Within the space we; my…fellows and I; live the worlds are connected by Corridors of Darkness or via Gummi ship routes. But your world is different. The worlds in _your_ space of the cosmos are linked through limbos between the worlds. You found a way to break the barriers around the worlds, punch through the limbo, and into another world, am I right?" Tobias nodded coolly and Roxas continued,

"We found a way to do the same but you…fought back, so to speak. When your company realized we were trying to bust into Perim you strengthened your own Generator which caused ours to act up. So then we'd add more power and make yours act up. It wasn't until we applied the full force that we eventually punched through but…" Roxas shook his head, "We weren't supposed to open up here; we were aiming for Perim where no one would get hurt. I _told_ them they were using too much energy but I'm too new for them to listen to me much."

"What exactly were you planning on doing in Perim?" Tom asked in a wary voice, "You weren't going to…take it over or anything? Were you?"

"No." The young boy sighed, "We're Nobodies. Me, Axel, and the rest of us in black. We're all Nobodies."

"And they are?" Tobias seemed to be more interested than angry now.

"I have to explain the Heartless first." Roxas turned his attention to Tom, "Those things that took your friend, that's a type of Heartless. The Heartless are beings created from darkness. They're born from the darkness in a person's heart and they feed on the hearts of others. When a Heartless takes another person's heart, it falls into darkness and becomes another Heartless. We call it "losing your heart.""

"So…Kaz lost his…heart?" Tom made a disgusted face and Roxas forced a smile.

"Not the physical heart, the emotional one." Roxas' expression was swept blank again, "But the Heartless don't just seek the hearts of people, they want the hearts of worlds too." The boy shook his head, "But that's beside the point. When someone with an extremely strong will to live gets turned into a Heartless an empty shell is sometimes left behind. A being with instincts and the needs for survival but no heart. A Nobody. The lowest levels of Nobodies are Dusks and they're just like the Heartless; no consciousness only the need to find a heart. Some Nobodies, however, develop a conscious and look human." Roxas tapped his chest, "Like me. But we don't…have hearts. We're just empty shells…wandering around, looking for what we lost. We don't feel anything; we can only fake our feelings." Despite his words, Roxas looked upset.

"So there's a chance we could find Kaz's heart and bring him back, right!?" Tom asked excitedly, almost spilling his coco onto his lap.

"I don't know. Probably not." Roxas answered and Tobias made an odd growling noise, "His heart's been consumed by the darkness so he's a Heartless now but about his leaving a Nobody behind…" Roxas shrugged, "That's anyone's guess. We; Organization XIII, that is; release Heartless into worlds and destroy them so their hearts are sent…somewhere our Superior won't tell us. Apparently though, wherever they go, we'll be able to get our hearts back with it someday."

"Then why release your Heartless here?" Tobias' eyes were narrowed with discontent but the whole concept was rather intriguing to the man.

"I told you," Roxas said almost exasperatedly, "We meant to release them into Perim because they don't seem to like chasing after the Creatures there. This was an accident that we intend to fix. There's a shield around the Cafeteria so the Heartless can't get in here and cause any more damage and there's another one around the whole building to stop the Heartless from getting out. So we're trying to fix it."

"Trying isn't good enough!" Tobias and Tom snapped at the same time but it was Tom who set his mug down, leapt off the counter, and stomped up to Roxas.

"My _best friend_ is _gone_ because of your stupid Organization's stupid idea to trash Perim!" The boy shouted, grabbing the front of Number XIII's cloak and giving him a shake, "You have no _idea_ how much I _hate_ you right now! If you don't fix this then I'll see to it personally that you all suffer _painfully_ for what you've done to us, to Mr. Tobias' staff, and to _Kaz_!" Roxas stared at Tom with an empty expression and Tom' temper flared even higher, "Why don't you say anything!? This _your_ fault! All of it! Kaz could be gone forever because of you!" Tom hefted Roxas up, drew back a fist, and socked the other boy in the side of the face.

Roxas went sailing into the door and crashed through it, sprawling onto the floor. Axel and another Organization member with dirty blonde hair yanked into a Mohawk/mullet-like style were suddenly at his side. Axel was spinning strange black and red steel rings with protruding spikes around in his gloved fingers, his expression livid. The second man was helping Roxas to his feet.

"I'm fine, Demyx," Roxas muttered, pushing the man away and rubbing his cheek, "I…kind of deserved that one."

"Alright, Thomas, I think that's enough." Tobias put a hand on the boy's shoulder, "I'm going to need some help."

"With what?" Tom asked, immediately distracted as the three Organization members left the scene.

"Since it seems we're going to be staying in this Cafeteria a while, I need your help to clear out some tables and making a living space. You know, sleeping, eating, that sort of thing." Tobias wrapped an arm around the boy's shoulders and led him out of the kitchen, "We could probably get those Nobodies to get us some blankets and supplies if we really needed them…"

The man's voice trailed off as he kicked the kitchen door shut behind him and wandered to the other side of the Cafeteria with Tom at his side.

* * *

Wow, a whole chapter without a scene change, how amazing is that?

Okay now that we have all the "blah, blah, blahs" out of the way, we can get on to more exciting things! Trauma, trauma, blood and angst! Mwahahahahahaha! Okay, no, not really.  
I think I covered pretty much everything in here. If I forgot something I'm super sorry. Yep, super sorry.

Aaaaaannnyyyyway, Tom's a jerk, Kaz is awesome, and Peyton and Sarah should totally be together.

Hee, hee, hee.

Okay, I'm done now. Seriously. I'll see you guys in the next chapter! Thanks for reading, please leave me a review, and byes!


	11. Off the Dark End

Sorry for the long and boring chapter but never fear, we're getting along nicely now, aren't we. Now that Tom's finally out of his slump we can get the story moving again…for the most part. XD

* * *

**11: Off the Dark End

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**

"_We are like fireworks…rising, shining, and finally…scattering and fading. So until that moment comes…when we vanish like fireworks…let us sparkle brightly…always." –From Tite Kubo's Bleach

* * *

  
_

_**What is this?**_

_This. This. What. This._

_**Who said that?**_

_That. This. Said. That._

_**Why can't I see anything?**_

_Darkness._

_**It's night?**_

_Darkness. Us. You. Darkness._

_**I don't understand.**_

_Don't. Us. Darkness. Under. Hunger._

_**Where am I? Who am I!?**_

* * *

"_Come on, faster! Faster! We have to get out of here!" Tom kept repeating the words over and over and over again like a mystic chant that would somehow make it so. He and Kaz raced down an endless stretch of white hall with no doors or windows or markings of any kind. _

_It just kept going on forever._

"_Tom…I can't…" Kaz dropped to his knees on the floor, barely able to draw breath, "I can't…"_

"_You have to!" Tom moaned, grabbing his friend's arm and pulling at him, "Come ON, Kaz! Don't give up on me now!"_

_His blue eyes flickered up and he saw a wall of black slowly consuming the hallways, gaining speed as it moved towards them. _

"_Kaz! Get up! Move your legs!" Tom screamed, yanking at his friend but Kaz wasn't moving, "Kaz! What're you doing!? We have to MOVE!"_

"_Help me Tom…" Kaz was crying, looking at him with pleading eyes, "Help me! I can't move! Help me! Help me!"_

"_I'M TRYING!" Tom was pulling hopelessly at his best friend's immobile form, tears streaking down his face as the darkness bore down on them, "I'M TRYING! WHY CAN'T I HELP YOU!? I'M _TRYING_!"_

"_You didn't try hard enough." Kaz murmured through his tears as the darkness consumed him._

Tom gave a groggy yell of grief as he shot upright in the makeshift bed he was sprawled in. Then, as he sat there panting and fighting back the wave of dizziness, he listened to make sure he hadn't woken anyone else with his shouting. Slow and steady breathing came from all around him in the darkness.

With a shaky sigh, Tom slid back beneath the heavy covers and sank into the squishy air mattress that made up his bed. But he couldn't get back to sleep. It was too dark for him to see anything in the Overworld themed Cafeteria where they'd made camp but he was aware of the other warm bodies around him, sleeping peacefully for the most part. A few people were even snoring.

_Lucky them…_ Tom snorted, anger bubbling just beneath the surface, _They can sleep all nice and sound because _they_ didn't lose their best friend._ The anger was mixed with pain and sorrow, _Kaz didn't stand a chance. And it's my fault. He's always stuck with me, no matter how much of a jerk I've been, and I let him down. I let him down really bad this time._

Tom rolled onto his back, throwing a hand over his eyes with a heavy sigh. He suddenly felt a whole lot younger than fourteen.

Something shifted against the door across the room and Tom whipped his head up to look around, not that he could see anyway. There was a low "twang" of a stringed instrument and Tom fell back onto his bed to bury his face in his pillow. It was Demyx, Number IX and the Melodious Nocturne with his sitar.

A few more tuning notes rang across the room and then a slow melody drifted from the instrument that no one could see.

A lullaby.

Tom's anger boiled and he felt a fiery sensation burning in his chest. Never had he hated a group of people as much as he hated Organization XIII. They had ruined his summer vacation, they had ruined Perim, they had ruined Chaotic, they could ruin Khaos Corporation for good, and they had allowed so many innocent people to get hurt.

They had let Kaz get hurt.

And they didn't care.

Tom's eyes burned with hot angry tears as he shoved his face deeper into his pillow, trying to bury himself in his rage and pain.

It hurt to realize that he could do nothing to save his best friend.

A chocked cry managed to wiggle its way past his lips and even though it was muffled by the pillow, the music still stopped. Tom quickly pulled the covers over his head and curled up into a little ball, squeezing his eyes shut and willing that stupid Demyx to leave him alone. A few more moments of silence and then the tune picked up again; a little slower, a little sadder.

Tom stuck his head out from underneath the blankets with a snort of discomfort and abhorrence and then settled down, ready to go back to sleep.

Even if it meant more nightmares…

* * *

Tom was in a foul mood when the next morning approached though he tried his best to hide it.

He ate breakfast by himself in the far corner of the Cafeteria next to a window. After he'd finished, he slouched in his seat and started poking the glass, watching with mild interest as glowing hexagonal shapes sparked and flickered wherever his fingers traced along the glass.

"Bottling things up inside can give you an ulcer, you know." Izaak Khaos said in a matter-of-fact tone of voice that made Tom jump and hit his head on the window. The man had snuck up on him without him even noticing.

"Go away." The boy grumbled, rubbing his forehead.

"No." Izaak smirked and sat down, crossing his arms over his chest and sticking his nose in the air, "Tell me what's eating you."

"Go ask your brother." Tom growled, jerking his head in Tobias' direction. The oldest Khaos brother was busy settling a dispute between two of the teenage girls.

Izaak gave a crooked smile, "Tobias is good for giving your life story to but for spilling your guts," He ruffled his dirty-blonde hair so it stuck up even more than usual, "I'd go to me or Leon."

"Hmph, I don't have anything to say to you." Tom grumbled, folding his arms on the table top and burying his face there, "You couldn't possibly understand how I feel right now."

Izaak didn't say anything but he didn't get up and leave either, he kept his eyes on Tom with a patient expression on his face. A flash of blue eyes gleamed through Tom's folded arms as he glared at the Khaos sibling.

"I told you to go away." The boy snapped, voice muffled by his arms.

"And I told you no." Izaak replied, sending a warm smile Tom's way. Tom scowled at him but straightened up and looked at Izaak.

"Fine, you want to know what I'm feeling?" The black haired boy hissed, "I hate them!" He pointed a finger at an Organization member (Number X, Luxord, The Gambler of Fate) who was standing guard against one door, "I hate them! I hate them! I hate them!" Tom slammed his fists onto the tabletop, rocking the whole piece of furniture. His breath hissed out quickly from between his teeth and he seethed for a moment or two. Then he hunched over the table, curling his face into his arms, shoulders shaking, and started crying tears of anger and loss, "My best friend is gone because of them! I _hate_ them!"

"Hush." Izaak commanded, reaching over and patting Tom's back, "As Dorian says: _alles wird in ordrung_. It means "everything will be alright" in German."

"Unless Kaz can come back somehow…" Tom chocked out rubbing his face furiously with the palms of his hands, "Then nothing will be alright…"

"Alright, enough of the pity party!" Izaak grabbed Tom's upper arms, heaved him out of the chair, dragged him across the room, and dropped him in front of two girls who were busy chanting away about something. Both of them stopped when a very flustered Thomas Majors scrambled into a sitting position in front of them.

"Hey girls," Izaak spoke over Tom's head, "This is Tom Majors, aka MajorTom!" The girls giggled and blushed. They recognized the name of the Overworlder's biggest player, "He's a little depressed right now so why don't you sweet things cheer him up, hm?"

"Sure thing, Mr. Izaak," One of the girls smiled, "I think Scotty and Conner can give us a hand; we need to get some…" She grinned at Tom who's face turned a delicate shade of pink, "_Things_ to do what we need to do. Right?" She looked at her friend who nodded enthusiastically, "We do this _all_ the time."

"W-wait a second!" Tom flushed a brilliant red color as the two girls started dragging him off, "Izaak! What're you doing!? Let _go_ of me!" He weakly jerked at the girls' grips but somewhere in the back of his head he didn't seem to mind being hauled off to who-knows-where by a couple of girls who weren't that bad looking, "IIIIZAAAAAAA—!" The doors to the Mipedian themed Cafeteria room slammed shut and cut the boy off.

Izaak laughed and turned around to face his older brother. Tobias frowned and shook his head, pushing his glasses up his nose.

"Was that completely necessary?" The eldest Khaos brother asked, unable to hide the amusement in his voice.

"You know as well as I do that if he continued to brood like that he'd only be hurting himself." Izaak said with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, "I took psychology in college for a reason, Big Brother. Helping these people is one of the things I do best." He stuck his hands in his pockets and started to wander off, "Tom will be okay but I can't get him out of his slump; he has to do that himself."

* * *

Roxas paused as he passed one of the many doors within the Khaos Corporation building and listened. It sounded as though someone was fighting in the room beyond. Wondering if it was one of his fellow Organization members, he pushed the door open. His eyes widened at the sight he beheld.

At least two dozen Heartless were congregating around a single part of the room. Most of them were Shadows or Neo Shadows but there were a handful of Soldiers jittering about. Roxas scowled and burst through the door, spinning his weapons in his hands.

_Oathkeeper!_ He thought as he batted away several Heartless, _Oblivion! Don't fail me now!_ A silent pray that had become a ritual of late.

But as he stepped back to catch his breath and launch another attack, something warm pressed against his back. Expecting a Heartless, the Nobody spun on his heel, blades at the ready.

What he saw made the Heartless regrouping around him an irrelevant factor.

* * *

(peeks around from behind a barricade) Um…I'm not going to have sharp pointy objects thrown at me for that cliffhanger am I? Well, anyone want to take a stab at what it is that's got Roxas tied in knots? Hm? Any guesses?

This turned into a filler chapter, didn't it?

Yes, well the ending to this chapter was a little different before _somebody_ punched a bunch of plot holes in it! You know who you are! (gigglesnort)

Aaaannnyyyway, I have do idea when I'm next going to update this so bear with me. I can feel a wave of that horrid Writer's Block rearing over me right now. It's like somebody watching you from across a crowded room. Brrrrr.

Well, thanks for reading, please leave a review, and byes!


	12. Number XIV, Xilvin, the Howling Storm

You know what, I'm actually starting to feel bad for Tom. Which is not good. I don't like Tom; he's a jerk and he cheated against his _best friend_! (slaps him) Grow up, you sore loser! You're an ego maniac with a hero complex and the drastic need for attention! Jerk.

* * *

**12: Number XIV, Xilvin, The Howling Storm

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**

"_There is nothing in the whole world so painful as feeling that one is not liked." –Sel Shonagon

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_

Tom had managed to shake off the two girls as soon as they dragged him through the doors and slip back into the Overworld Cafeteria to continue sulking. He seemed to be getting very good at that of late.

"Here." A granola bar popped into his line of vision and as he focused on it he found it being held out by Leon Khaos.

"Thanks." He muttered, taking it and tearing it open. He took a small bite but it tasted like sawdust to his guilt-ridden tastebuds.

"You made those two girls over there awfully disappointed." The youngest Khaos brother said.

"Tough." Tom growled, turning his back on Leon, "Leave me alone. Please." He strained the last word through clenched teeth. A few seconds later, Leon's footsteps were heard leaving. Tom pressed his forehead against the window, ignoring the tingling sensation on his skin from the barrier.

_I'm sorry…_ He thought, squeezing his eyes shut as though by doing so he could will his best friend back into existence, _I'm so sorry…_

A giant commotion erupted from the Underworld Cafeteria; the room dominated by Organization XIII. Tom dropped the granola bar on the table and wove past tables, chairs, and curious people, walked straight through the Danian themed room, and crept carefully up to the partially open door to the Underworld room. Black bustled to and fro and voices were raised in anger or panic.

Then, just for a second, he saw a flash of spiky, red-orange hair.

"KAZ!" He shouted on impulse and the door slammed shut. When he tried the handle, he found it locked. Tom shouted in frustration and kicked the door. No one was letting him know what was happening!

Anger and pain popped inside him like bubbles and he purposefully knocked over several chairs before settling at a table that faced the door. Then he crossed his arms and set his chin in them, glaring.

He'd sit here until he got some answers.

Tom figured he must have fallen asleep sometime during his glaring because the creak of the door opening made him open his eyes. Demyx stuck his head out of the room and made an odd, disgruntled sort of noise when he saw Tom glowering at him.

"Where's Kaz?" The black haired boy hissed, standing up so fast he knocked his chair over.

"He's not—!"

"I _saw_ him! Where is Kaz!?"

"Demyx?" A warm, husky voice said and a figure dressed in the black cloak of the Organization brushed past the Melodious Nocturne.

Tom thought for a moment his heart had stopped beating.

The boy who came through the door was not Khristopher Kalinkas. He was the same height, just as lean, and had same movements but his eyes were a bright hazel, his skin was a couple of shades darker than Kaz's would ever be, and there were violet checkmarks underneath his eyes. His hair was a light orangish-red with a streak of dark red through the long bangs that hung in his face and through the rest of it was spiked and styled like Kaz's, there was a small tuft of a ponytail tied up in a strand of taupe colored ribbon at the back of his head.

"T-Tom…" Demyx made a valiant attempt to swallow his nervous stutter, "This is…Number XIV, Xilvin…the Howling Storm."

"Hi." Xilvin's husky tones masked a voice that sounded almost identical to Kaz but it was flat, like he didn't know how to put in the fake emotions that the rest of the Organization could.

He stretched out a glove covered hand towards Tom.

Tom stared at it, his mind racing and going completely blank all at once.

"_He just lost his heart. Lost. His. Heart."_

Xilvin's swirling hazel gaze locked with Tom's crystal blue ones.

"_You can't always play the hero, Thomas. Sometimes things happen that you can't stop and you need to accept that."_

Something was swelling up inside him like a wave on a stormy sea.

"_Even though I was being a jerk about it…he stuck by me and he didn't shove it in my face…" _

There was an acrid taste on his tongue.

"_When a Heartless takes another person's heart, it falls into darkness and becomes another Heartless. We call it "losing your heart.""_

He could hear the blood pounding in his ears.

"_When someone with an extremely strong will to live gets turned into a Heartless an empty shell is sometimes left behind."_

He curled his hands into fists.

"_A being with instincts and the needs for survival but no heart. A Nobody."_

Anger and hate made his eyes burn hot.

"_Tom!"_

Xilvin cocked his head in a gesture that could have been confusion had he not had such a blank expression.

"_Hey, Tom!"_

Heat flushed adrenaline through Tom's frame and he quivered with abhorrence.

"Tom?" Demyx murmured quietly and something snapped.

"NO!" The boy smacked away Xilvin's hand and punched the Nobody in the stomach. Xilvin doubled over with a cry of pain and Tom bolted from the room.

His vision was blurry and he couldn't figure out why.

He stumbled into the Overworld room, gasping for air, chest heaving, wondering why he was having such a hard time breathing when he had hardly run at all. Distorted shapes moved towards him quickly as he fell to the floor. Something wet was on his face and was dripping onto his still clenched fists that were curled over the carpet.

He was shaking.

Someone was crying.

Voices jumbled together, figures smeared together like watercolors, and Tom felt like his whole body was laden down with lead. He felt like the whole world had just collapsed around him.

Something warm suddenly wrapped around him and he pulled away. His throat was burning and he felt choked.

Screaming echoed in his ears.

He half ran, half staggered over to where he knew his bed was. His vision still disoriented by what he did not know, he plunged beneath the solitude of the blankets and pulled them over his head, curling into a little ball with his knees drawn up to his chin. His world rocked, his head spun, his chest hurt terribly, and there was something dampening his pillow.

It was him.

He was the one who was crying and screaming.

But even as he realized this he found he could not stop.

It hurt too much.

"Thomas?" Tobias' voice sounded very far away, "What's the matter? What're you doing making so much noise?"

Tom only screamed louder; hate for the Organization and what they had done fueling his cries.

"Tom! Come out and tell us what they did!? What did they do to you!?" That was Scotty. Or Conner. He didn't care which. They didn't get it. They couldn't possibly understand.

"Come out from under there." A voice he could only assume was Joseph snapped, "Now."

Static was buzzing in Tom's ears as he screwed his eyes shut, still sobbing, and willed them all to go away, "NO!"

"That's enough of this!" Someone grabbed the blankets around him and whipped them back. In the same instant, a hand grabbed his shirt front and dragged him into an upright position. Even through his tear-filled eyes, Tom could see Joseph's livid expression.

"Tell us what happened! _Now_!" The man snarled.

Tom took a deep shuddering breath, shaking in the Khaos brother's grasp, and screamed as loud as he could, "HE'S NOT KAZ!" Then he collapsed into a crying wreak again.

Joseph released the boy, shocked at the outburst, and backed away slowly. Tobias knelt down, wrapped his arms around the hysterical teenager, and let him sob into his shoulder. He nodded briefly at Leon who nodded back and vanished through the door to confront the Organization. The other Khaos brothers departed, ushering out the staff and teenagers who were watching the spectacle.

"Shhhh, Tom, hush now." Tobias slid out of his coat and put it around Tom's shoulders before putting one arm across the boy's back and gently placing his other on the back of the teen's head and stroking his black hair, "Shhhhhh. _Alles wird in ordrung_, Thomas. Hush…hush…"

The sun was starting to set by the time Tom finally fell asleep in Tobias' arms, tears still trickling down his cheeks.

* * *

Xilvin slid silently into the room where the humans were staying but found only two sleeping forms in the darkness that was almost midnight. He blinked at them slowly, watching them in their slumber. His keen hazel gaze picked out the red puffiness under Tom's eyes caused by the screaming and crying he'd done for the better part of the day.

Axel had said that it was Xilvin's fault that Tom cried.

Xilvin was just coming to grasp exactly what he was and who he had been. He was a Nobody; an emotionless shell without a heart. His Other; the term his fellow Organization members had given to who they had been and would hopefully soon become; had been Kaz Kalinkas and Tom's best friend.

Xilvin knew that Tom hated the Organization but why he hated his best friend's Nobody was anybody's guess. The Nobody smiled at the joke. Oh yes, he was learning. And quickly.

Roxas had found Number XIV in a bad way. The Nobody had Formed directly _inside_ the building in a secluded room that didn't stay that way for very long. The place was a Heartless hot-spot and soon they were flooding in to see what this strange new surge of power had been about. Acting on an instinct that lay dormant within him the moment he had been Formed, Xilvin summoned his weapon and lashed out. The Heartless lashed back. He was lucky that Roxas had shown up. Without the Key of Destiny's help, he might have been overwhelmed.

Tom snorted in his sleep and Xilvin jumped. After a moment of silence, the Nobody relaxed and fell into a chair by the window so he could watch the moon sink.

A throbbing pain in his temple made him double over, digging his fingers into his scalp as he tried to fight off the pain.

Images flashed across his mind's eye…

_A huge arena made of stone. It is hot, the air thick and humid. Strange looking monsters roar at him from stands towering above. A small, wicked looking fiend sneers at him from across the way. Terror shoots through him…_

_Opening his eyes to a white ceiling with buzzing fluorescent lights, a slow beeping matching his heart beat. Disoriented from the drugs and shaking from the adrenaline rush that had put him there in the first place…_

_The hurt as a boy with black hair and blue eyes tells him that Perim isn't real. Tom says to stop living in a fantasy but it is _real_! If only he could make him see…_

_The sickening stench of fish permeating his senses as a gigantic star-shaped monster plucks him from the ground like a flower. Panic. Screaming in fear as the gaping maw that is its mouth looms closer and closer…_

_The happiness. The relief. The pure ecstasy that comes with winning. Winning and proving that Underworlders are better. Winning…victory…_

Xilvin couldn't stop the whimper that escaped his lips. Whatever that was, those memories weren't his. He'd talk to Roxas about it. Tomorrow. Roxas was the only Nobody his own age and all of the other Organization members, save Axel and Demyx, were kind of scary.

Xilvin slumped down in his chair, laying his head on the cold table top to get the headache that was forming in his head to go away.

It was strange; all these things he did not understand or remember and yet fighting and pain came so easily. Why? His thoughts churned in his head, one idea chasing the next around in circles. Yawning, he pulled his hood over his spiky hair and buried his face in his arms. He fell asleep slowly.

And tumbled into dreams of people he'd never met before, places he'd never been…in his dreams he became someone else. Though who it was he could not be sure.

* * *

_Darkness. You. Us. Heartless._

_**Heartless?**_

_You. Heartless. Us. Darkness. You. Master._

_**Me? Master? Of…of what?**_

_What. What. What. Master. You. Heartless._

_**Master of Heartless…hmm…**_

_Master. Master. You. Hunger. _

_**A name…I don't have a name.**_

_Shadows. Rabid. Aero. Darkside. Soldier._

_**No…I'm…**_

* * *

Mwahahahahahahahahahahaha! I'm so freaking _evil_! Oooohhh, yes I am! Guess who, guess who, guess who! (evil maniacal laughter continues) Oh my _gosh_, we're finally getting to the good stuff! Yes!

Um, by the way, if you think I overdid Tom's reaction to seeing Xilvin don't hesitate to tell me. To me, that's just how a fourteen year old kid would react. His life hasn't been the best thing ever. He gets the chance of a life time—a dream come true vacation—and it blows up in his face, his best friend pretty much gets "killed" right in front of his eyes, and now there's this person-who-looks-like-best-friend-but-is-only-a-part-of-best-friend wandering around. I think I'd scream and cry too.

Anyway, thanks for reading, please leave me a review, and byes!


	13. Notes of Neverwhere

I am on a _roll_ here! And everyone who reads "Melody in Black" and "Shadows Are Supposed to Stay Sleeping" hate me right now. Eheh…

Anyway, you might notice a slight spelling change with some certain tribes names. This is due to…um…well, let's just say I'd never seen them in text format until, like, two days ago. (nervous laughter)

(Disclaimer: Chapter title taken from the name of a Mipedian Mugic.)

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**13: Notes of Neverwhere

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**

"_You are never strong enough that you don't need help." –Cesar Chavez

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_

_**Lord Nameless.**_

* * *

Xilvin's fork fell from his gloved fingers with a clatter and his expression became pained as he kneaded his forehead with his knuckles.

"No…" He moaned softly, "Please…no more…these visions…they…hurt too much…"

Pictures blazed like stars across his consciousness…

_His fingers slip off the metal bar. Fear. He screams as he falls. The ground! Agony is burning in his leg. He screams and cries. Oh, it hurts! Someone make it stop! He can't breath. Darkness and pain are making his head spin…_

_Laughter. A white table. Friends. They laugh together. What were their names…_

_Icey wind bites at his cheeks and he shivers. The cold is intense. The snow is almost blinding. But he made a promise. He has to do this. Even in the bitter cold. He takes a step forward in the snow. Then another. And another…_

_The table. The same table. He laughs beside Tom and…and…who are they…_

"P…Peyton…" Xilvin gasped through his teeth as leaned back in his chair, panting, "And…S…S…Sarah…" He ran a hand through his long bangs, blinking to clear the last images from his mind's eye, "But how do I know that?" The Nobody stared at his hands as though they could give him the answer.

It was breakfast the morning after Tom's little episode (if one could call it "little") and Xilvin had the miserable job of guarding the OverWorld Cafeteria. That meant eating in the same room as the humans who loathed him and would rather see him Faded.

The Howling Storm peered through his fingers at the teenagers and adults milling around in the usual morning drowsiness. It seemed so unreal to him; almost as though the rest of the world was blurred at the edges and he was in perfectly clear sharp focus. Or maybe he was the one who was blurry. Whichever it was, Xilvin sensed a detachment from the rest of the world. His only reasoning for this was that he was a Nobody, something that was not even supposed to exist, and the rest of the world was…well, they were Somebody's.

"Once upon a time there were four persons named Everybody, Somebody, Nobody, and Anybody." Xilvin glanced up and saw the twin Khaos brother standing over his with identical smiles. Conner was the one who was talking to him, "When there was an important job to be done, Everybody was sure Somebody would do it."

"Anybody could have done it," Scotty picked up where his brother left off, "But Nobody did it. When Nobody did it, Everybody became angry because it was Everybody's job. Everybody thought that Somebody would do it, but Nobody realized that Nobody would do it."

"Eventually," The twins said together, "Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done in the first place."

Xilvin tilted his head to the side and snorted, mustering up the mask of confused indifference that had come to be associated with him. He was a new Nobody and even though he was learning fast, his basic display of "emotions" was limited to what he mimicked from others. Confusion seemed to the easiest if second only to the slightly cold, nonchalant indifference that gave him something that could almost be called a personality.

"Can I help you?" His voice cracked huskily as he stretched his arms towards the ceiling with a yawn.

"Yeah," The twins snarled, "Get out."

"Not happening." Xilvin responded as coldly as he could, turning his hazel eyes to the window instead. The table jolted as both Khaos brothers slammed their fists on it simultaneously.

"Get out of this room." They hissed in unison, "And either go back to where you came from or go help your buddies clean up the mess they've made!"

"Scotty! Conner! That's _enough_!" Tobias grabbed his younger siblings back the backs of their shirts and hauled them backwards away from the table, "Go do something productive." The twins stuck their tongues out at Tobias but scampered off to do as they were told. Tobias turned his attention back to Xilvin, tugging at his rather ragged looking goatee, "Come with me, we need to talk."

"No." Xilvin tucker his hands behind his head, closed his eyes, and kicked his feet up on the table, showing off his heavy black boots and making an attempt to make Tobias mad, "I have orders. I have to stay in here."

"Do want to cause a scene in here," Tobias gestured to the mingling people, "Or in there?" He pointed to the doors to the Mipedian Cafeteria, "Tom's waiting."

"Tom?" Xilvin blinked and found himself on his feet, following the oldest Khaos brother to the door without even realizing he was doing so. Even as he willed himself to stop, he found that he could not.

The doors slammed shut ominously behind him.

Tom stood in the center of the room, arms at his sides, as though he'd been standing there the whole time. Which he probably had. Xilvin studied the cold fire burning in the blue eyes beneath the black bangs; Tom hated the Organization but, it seemed, he couldn't bring himself to hate his best friend's Nobody quite as much as he'd have liked to.

Number XIV stopped a few feet away, aware that Tobias was watching from the shadowy corner of the room.

"What?" He asked flatly.

Tom winced, took a deep breath, stood there with his mouth open like an idiot for a moment or two, and then spoke very slowly in a voice broken by a sore throat, "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Tom's distraught expression told him he'd said the wrong thing, "I'm mean, it's okay. I…forgive you."

"Stop it." Tom hissed but it wasn't in anger, it was something like an inner pain, "Stop trying to be something you're not." The boy sat down heavily in a nearby chair but Xilvin remained standing. Human edict was almost a foreign concept to him, "Look, I don't know what you know or remember about Kaz but he was my best friend. I've always been kind of a jerk about…a lot of things and—."

"You didn't believe Chaotic existed." Xilvin wondered why the words rushed out of his mouth so naturally, "That…hurt Kaz." The unfamiliar term stumbled past his lips. He couldn't understand feelings at all.

"Bring that up, of all things…" Tom muttered, running his hand across his face like he could make the memory vanish. Xilvin wished he could, "What I meant to say was that I need your help." Blue flashed against hazel, "I need you to help me get Kaz back."

"That's all I'm good for." Xilvin said, trying to make a joke but Tom only stiffened, "Yeah, okay. Help. Sure. Kaz. Right." The Nobody turned his back on the teen, heading back for the door. Then he paused and turned around, "By the way, you're not the only one who's looking for Kaz's heart." And he spun back towards the doors, vanishing through them before Tom could say anything.

"Satisfied?" Tobias asked, smiling at Tom's bewildered expression.

"I don't get him." Tom replied, "He's…weird. Like he's trying too hard to act like he has emotions. And…what did he mean I'm not the only one looking for Kaz's heart?"

"Exactly what he said." Tobias responded calmly, hands tucked into his pockets, "From what I understand, Nobodies are not supposed to exist and so they strive to find a way to do so. The only way for them to exist is to find their hearts and become the people they once were." Tobias smiled at Tom and readjusted his glasses, "They are forever searching for survival, just as the Creatures of Perim are forever searching for the Cothica."

"Oh…" Tom said vaguely, looking back towards the doors, "I think I get it now."

* * *

As Xilvin made his way back towards his usual spot, a painful throb started to build behind his eyes. Within seconds, it had escalated to a pulsing beat that stabbed pain across his vision and forehead. The Nobody stumbled against a table, a hand to his head, and swallowed thickly as the edges of the room became fuzzy.

What was happening?

Agony made his head pound and he made a mad dash for the Danian door. He burst through them and got halfway through the Cafeteria before a wave of heat and dizziness sent him crashing to the floor and into the blackness of unconsciousness…

* * *

_He feels very small and yet at the same time very noticeable. _

_Everyone's staring at him._

'_Cause he's the new kid._

_He sinks lower in his seat, feeling his face turn red behind his large glasses._

_His parents say this small town will be better than Chicago._

_Better for him._

_The lunch room is so noisy. It makes his head spin. He wants to disappear, to sink into the ground so that no one can stare at him anymore._

_But he can't._

_So he reaches into the pockets of his baggy jeans and pulls out a stack of cards. His tiny fingers begin to shuffle through them, chocolate eyes alight as he goes over them the same way he's done over and over again._

"_Hey! You like Chaotic!?" An excited voice asks above him and he looks up. There's a boy standing over him with messy black hair and large, vibrant blue eyes. His gray T-shirt is faded, there are holes in the knees of his jeans, his tennis shoes have seen better days, and a fading bruise stands out against the side of his cheek. _

"_Yeah…" He replies warily, holding his deck close to his chest. It's the only one he's got._

"_Me too!" The boy grins, "I'm Tom!" The boy holds his hand out, still grinning._

"_Uh…Kaz." He says and slowly takes Tom's hand. Tom laughs and pumps Kaz's arm up and down enthusiastically. Kaz jerks his arm back, rubbing his sore wrist. There is still a dark mark there from the bruise left by the IV._

"_Wanna play?" Tom reaches into his jeans and pulls out his own deck. It's battered and rough but well loved all the same._

"_Yeah. Sure!" Kaz smiles back._

_A friend._

_He actually has a friend._

* * *

Xilvin felt the moan bubble past his lips and escape into the air. His eyes fluttered open and he saw the dark ceiling that made up the UnderWorld Cafeteria.

"Hey, looks who's awake." Axel's chiding tones made the Howling Storm sit up and look around. He was on the floor of the Cafeteria that the Organization claimed as their living quarters.

"What happened?" Xilvin rubbed a hand across his forehead but there were no remaining aches and pains from…whatever it was.

"I saw you go down in the Danian Cafeteria," Axel replied, tugging a lock of his fiery red hair, "You didn't move after that so I dragged you back in here." The Flurry of the Dancing Flames put his elbows on his knees and propped his chin in his hands, "So, what did you see?"

"Huh?"

"What. Did. You. See?"

"I…I…it was…" Xilvin struggled to bring the vision back to mind, "A…a memory, I think." He looked at Axel for confirmation but the other Nobody made no response so he turned his gaze to the floor, "I don't understand. I keep seeing these…flashes of things that aren't mine. I don't know…"

"Roxas has 'em to." Number VIII leaned back in his chair, "Every night, he says, he has dreams where he becomes a—." Axel stopped and looked down his nose at Xilvin, "You know what, you should ask him about it, not me."

"But I—."

"Ask Roxas." Axel said, getting to his feet and stretching, "Got it memorized?" He stepped backwards with a grin and was enclosed in a dark oval that was a Passage of Darkness.

"What a jerk." Xilvin muttered, getting to his feet, "Roxas never comes back until late. He spends all his time Heartless hunting." Number XIV stared out the window for a moment or two, watching the snow sparkling on the peaks of the mountains beyond, "Maybe that's the best place to talk to him though…"

The Nobody punched a fist into his other hand as he came to a decision. Then he paused, staring at his hands, wondering briefly why he'd done such a thing. Shaking his head, he waved his fingers through the air and disappeared into the Passage of Darkness.

* * *

Oh my gosh, it's _filler_! (laughs insanely) It's all freaking filler but I love it all! Wahahahahahahahahaha!

Okay, writing Xilvin is freaking _hard_. He doesn't grasp the concept of displaying emotions yet so he's like a freaking rock. But I like the memory scene with Kaz and Tom as little kids. It's so cute! X3

I'm also having a hard time with remembering episodes because took off all the episodes from the old season with the old animation style. So, you know, if anyone has some favorite episodes that star our lovable and huggable Kazzer leave me a review or PM me and I'll see if I can use 'em! It'd be a great help!

Oh, and, I think I got that thing right. The Cothica? Is that right? I'm not sure. Please don't hate me if it's wrong.

Does anyone read these anyway? Or am I just ranting?

Okay. I'm done. Really.

Aaannnnyyywwaaaaayyyyy, thanks a ton for reading, please leave a review, and byes!


	14. Cryptic

Writer's Block…coming in…fast! Can't…hold it off…for much…longer! (gasp) Need the power…of…of…reviews…! (collapses) No…I must…update for…loyal…readers! No…! No! NOOOOOOOO—! (gets crushed under evil WB)

Okay, um, yeah…I just had a ton of Skittles so, like, bear with me. Aheh…

* * *

**14: Cryptic

* * *

  
**

"_There is but one true language, and that is Mugic. All else is gibberish." –Donmar (got it off a Chaotic card X3)

* * *

  
_

Roxas wasn't hard to find. One simply went to where the most Heartless were and the Key of Destiny was more than likely there.

Xilvin wandered down several hallways before he heard the telltale sounds of battle. He picked up the pace and rounded a corner to find Roxas blade-to-blade with Luna Bandits. One of the Heartless' crescent shaped blades caught the overhead fluorescent light and left an imprint across Xilvin's eyes. A memory flashed along with it…

"_What do you think you're _doing_!?" A man screams, emotions making his eyes spark and his face red with anger, "Get out of here! This is too dangerous! I knew Tobias shouldn't have let you brats stay here but noooooo! He had to go and play the he—!"_

_The sword of a Luna Bandit sprouts from his chest and cuts off his words._

_A scream cuts through the air and then darkness._

"Watch out!" Roxas' voice snapped the Howling Storm back into the present just in time to see the spinning swords of a Heartless coming right at him.

Acting on instinct, Xilvin threw his hand out in front of him, summoning forth his weapon. It cracked against the Heartless, sending it spinning backwards to the floor where Roxas stabbed downward with the Keyblade, effectively destroying it. A crystalline heart floated up towards the ceiling and vanished.

"Nice." Number XIII commented, nodding at Xilvin's weapon before spinning around and fending off the Heartless again.

Xilvin joined him, silently agreeing with the Keyblade Master. Xilvin's weapon was a five foot long whip and that was not including the handle. The whip itself was an electric blue color that gleamed with a silver, steel-like sheen. The handle was black, wrapped in taupe colored leather to aid in gripping, with a circular guard where the whip attached and a small, silver, blade at the other end.

"Roxas," Xilvin said almost nonchalantly, "Plug your ears."

The golden-haired Nobody looked at Xilvin for a second or two and then dropped to his knees and stuck his fingers in his ears. The Heartless started to scatter, no longer sensing a threat from the one wielding the Keyblade.

"Scream for me." Xilvin hissed and spun his whip so that it became a blurred circle of blue, "Howl, Souls of the Dead."

An earsplitting wail rang out from the spinning whip. Walls cracked, lights burst, and Heartless dissipated in clouds of black smoke and sparkling hearts. Seconds later, Xilvin dropped his arm to his side, tossed his bangs from his face, and looked at Roxas.

"That," Roxas said with a smile, "Was sweet. I guess they don't call you the Howling Storm for nothing." He took his fingers out of his ears and looked around at the damage Xilvin had done, "Collateral damage to this place is gonna skyrocket."

"Roxas," Number XIV leaned against a wall, staring up at the ceiling, "I've been having these, I dunno, flashes of memories or something that don't belong to me." He looked at the Nobody, "Do you know anything about it?"

"It's normal for a new Nobody." Roxas replied, banishing his Keyblades in sparkles of light and crossing his arms, "To have flashes of the memories of your Other."

"Axel said you still had them."

"Every night." The Key of Destiny shook his head and closed his eyes, "In my dreams, I become another person." He opened his eyes again and sighed heavily, "With places I've never been before, surrounded by people I've never met, in a world that seems like it has absolutely nothing to do with me."

"Can I stop them?"

Roxas turned his glittering blue eyes on Xilvin and slowly shook his head, "They're supposed to fade after a while. None of the other members can even begin to recall who they were before they lost their hearts."

"Except you?"

"Except me and if anyone knows why they're not telling me." A thundercloud passed over the Key of Destiny's face and his eyes narrowed.

"You think they're keeping something from you?" Xilvin pushed himself off the wall and walked over to Roxas.

"Maybe…" The boy put a hand to his head, "I don't know." He shook himself and held out his hand, Oathkeeper blazing to life in his palm, "Look, let's forget about it. Want to come Heartless hunting with me? It's the best way to kill time around here."

Xilvin nodded distractedly and followed Roxas down the hall in a quick sprint, thoughts elsewhere.

Maybe his Other's memories were the key to finding his Other's heart…

* * *

Tom spent most of the morning helping Joseph, Izaak, Leon, and a few of the other boys rearrange the OverWorld Cafeteria so that it was better suited as a living space. It was a lot of work and kept Tom's mind off of Kaz and Xilvin and the Organization.

They'd moved all the tables and chairs to the far side of the Cafeteria near the windows and had rigged up temporary curtains around two parts of the room, one for the girls and one for the guys. Then they moved all the sleeping bags inside the two curtains. It was a little crowded but it was worth it; at least the girls had stopped whining. Then they rearranged the tables so that there was enough space to move around and still enough room for every one to sit down and eat.

In the Mipedian Cafeteria, Izaak directed the set up of a Rec Room. They moved all the boxes to the far side of the room with most of the tables, leaving a clear space in front of the kitchens and buffet. Then, with the aid of the rather hesitant Demyx, they retrieved several items from the original Rec Room and set them up around the Danian Cafeteria; a karaoke machine, stacks of different magazines, a TV and small stereo system with a Game Cube, a Plasystation 3, and an Xbox 360, another television, slightly smaller, with no cable, and a computer that, for some reason, would not connect to the internet. Joseph later discovered that their phone lines were not working either.

"It's probably the barriers." Leon guessed, prodding one of the walls with his finger and watching the patterns sparkle to life there, "They're probably messing with the signals needed to use WiFi and telephone lines."

"Odd that your cell phones should work, then." Commented Dylan, the basketball looking kid. He was smarter than he appeared.

"They're on a private network," Joseph explained, "It only runs through the building and they only work inside the building." He pulled out his cellular device, splashed with the Chaotic symbol, and turned it over in his hands, "We had this established so we wouldn't have any unnecessary calls tying up our lines when we needed to talk to one another about something important."

"Something like hole?" Soyokaze muttered under his breath. The word had spread around by now; those people in black had opened up some weird hole inside Khaos Corporation and let those monsters out.

"Let's not talk about it." Izaak said quickly, noticing the Tom's features had darkened suddenly, "Who wants to sing karaoke?"

"Tom does!" Matthew cried, pushing Tom towards the machine from behind, "Come on, mate, lighten' up!"

"Wait—but I—now hold on—!" Tom's protests were muted by the karaoke machine starting up and a microphone being shoved into his hands.

"The girls love it!" Matthew assured him with a wicked grin, "So pick a song!"

"I'm _not_ singing." Tom pressed the microphone back into Matthew's hands and sat down at one of the behind him, "I don't do singing."

"Your loss, mate." Matthew shrugged, looking disappointed, "Hey! Who wants to sing with me!"

"I will." Said the Goth girl and everyone looked at her in amazement, "What? 'Cause I'm Goth I can't have fun? Tch, stereotypers." She snatched the mic from Matthew's hands, "Lacrymosa by Evanescence, Matt. You and me, duet."

"Right-o, Sheila!" Matthew grinned and bounced up beside the machine with the girl.

"Don't ever call me that again," The Goth said coldly, "It's Ellen."

Tom rolled his eyes at their antics. He jumped slightly as a bowl of fries was dropped onto the table top in front of him. He looked up to find Dylan taking a seat next to him, "You looked lonely." The boy explained, "Help yourself to the fries; I'm just here to see Matthew make a fool of himself."

"_Out on your own, cold and alone again, can this be what you really wanted, baby?" _Tom had to admit that the two actually had pretty good singing voices. He munched some fries rather slower than he usually would have, _"Blame it one me. Set your guilt free. Nothing can hold you back now."_

"So, what do you think about them guys in black?" Dylan asked and Tom glanced at him.

"_Now that you're gone, I feel like myself again, grieving the things I can't repair and willing…To let you blame it one me and set your guilt free."_

"The Organization?" Tom raised an eyebrow and Dylan nodded, "The honest truth?" Another nod, "I hate them."

"_I don't want to hold you back now, love. I can't change who I am, not this time, I won't lie to keep you near me."_

"Being kind of harsh, aren't you?"

"I don't think so." Tom swallowed another couple of French fries before continuing, "If they hadn't been so selfish, we wouldn't be stuck in here and everyone would be having a happy summer vacation!"

"_And in this short life, there's no time to waste on giving up. My love wasn't enough."_

"Ah…" Dylan muttered like he understood what Tom meant.

"_And you can blame it one me. Just set your guilt free, honey. I don't want to hold you back now, love."_

"Say," The other boy leaned in, setting his elbows on the table, "You're an OverWorlder, right?"

* * *

Roxas and Xilvin returned with the rest of the Organization members just as supper was being passed around. Nobody was pleased about having to share the Danian Cafeteria with them while they ate but they dealt with it.

Tom sat as far away from them as he could. True, he'd made some sort of truce with Xilvin but he still hated the Organization.

"See what happens when you pig out on French fries all afternoon? You've got no room for supper." Conner had appeared at Tom's shoulder, having noticed the boy picking at his food.

"Mm…"

"Mm? _Mm_!? What kind of response is that?" Conner laughed, "Look, quit brooding, it's only gonna give you nightmares."

"And you'd know this how?"

"I know _everything_!" Conner made a funny face and slapped Tom's shoulder before walking away.

"Hmph." Tom picked up his tray, dumped his half-touched food into the trash, walked out of the Cafeteria. He stopped in the middle of the OverWorld room and looked out the window. It wasn't that late but the sun had already disappeared behind the Hoarfrost Crests, darkening the room. Tom sighed; he didn't feel like socializing. The boy grabbed some bed clothes and vanished into the Mipedian Cafeteria that linked to the bathrooms. By the time everyone was filtering back into the room from dinner, Tom was already in his bed with the blankets pulled over his head and his eyes shut tight.

No one bothered him.

* * *

Tom opened his eyes slowly, still trying to stay asleep, but it was of little use. The nightmare still lingered in his mind, sending cold chills through his body. Rubbing sleep from his eyes, the boy rolled out of his makeshift bed, shivered from the chill air in the room, and pulled one of his blankets around his shoulders.

Tom picked his way through the sleeping forms of male staff members and fellow teenaged boys and opened the door to the Danian Cafeteria. The room was empty; it seemed the members of Organization XIII were out Heartless hunting.

"Couldn't sleep?" A husky voice from the far side of the room made Tom jump. Squinting at a corner, he could just make out the silhouette of someone in the shadows of a vending machine.

"Xilvin…" Tom walked over to the window where Kaz's Nobody sat perched in a chair, just out of the faint moonlight, "Yeah. Everytime I drift off the scene of those Heartless stealing Kaz's heart replays in my head." He choked and swallowed, "Only, I've got a Keyblade like Roxas and I could be helping…but I'm not." He sank into a chair, downtrodden, "What about you?"

"What about me?" Xilvin's hazel eyes never left the mountains outside the window.

"Why're you here and not with the rest of the Organization?"

"They're sleeping outside the Cafeterias." Xilvin responded, his husky voice dull, "I can't sleep. I keep having dreams of my Other."

"…Kaz?"

"Yep." Xilvin let out a heavy sigh and briefly put a hand over the left side of his chest, "Roxas says its normal for a new Nobody but…" He shook his head, "When you wake up in the middle of the night and realize that you're not afraid of the dark or relieved to find that you're not alone it's like…" He paused, blinking slowly as he tried to make a comparison, "It's like the world's moving forward and leaving you behind. You _know_ you're supposed to feel hurt and scared and all that but no matter what you do you can't. You're just…empty."

"Because you don't have a heart?" Tom drew the blanket tighter around his shoulders.

Xilvin nodded, "I remember what it's _like_ to have a heart; to feel emotions; but all I can do it physically copy those feelings." He put a hand over his eyes, forcing a half-smile, "Axel told me off for being morbid."

"Did it hurt?"

"Hm? Did what hurt?" Xilvin glanced at Tom but the boy was looking at the floor, face shadowed by his messy black bangs.

"Forming or whatever they call it. Did it hurt?"

"Mm, I don't think so. I mean, one second I wasn't and the next I was."

"That doesn't make much sense."

"There was darkness." Xilvin's voice was cold, like ice chips against glass, and there was a hard light in his eyes that looked somehow wrong on his expressionless face, "Nothing but infinite darkness that was neither hot nor cold. The memory is…blurry; I can't remember it exactly." The Howling Storm sat forward so that he was leaning into the moonlight and the gleam in his eyes became even more pronounced, "Black…something, someone maybe, walking away…I turned around and found myself surrounded by Heartless." Kaz's Nobody leaned back into the shadows again, the dark marks below his eyes standing out vividly on his skin, "That's it."

"Who was walking away? Kaz?" Tom's curiosity got the better of him.

"I don't know." Xilvin responded, suddenly sounding very tired, "It looked like him but I…don't know…" His brow furrowed as he tried to recollect, "When they were leaving, I got the sense that I should feel relieved. As though if that person had stayed I would have been killed."

"Nope, definitely wasn't Kaz." Tom smiled, "He even admits to himself that he's a coward." The smile fell, "He wouldn't hurt anyone intentionally unless they really made him angry." He chuckled, "That's a hard feat to achieve."

"You should go to bed." Xilvin said abruptly and Tom stared at him but the Nobody's attention was outside the window again, "Or else you'll be too tired to do anything in the morning."

"Hmph, like there's anything to do anyway." Tom snorted but stood up anyway and walked out.

Xilvin's hazel gaze followed him the whole way. When the door shut behind the boy, Number XIV got to his feet and faced the window, standing all the way in the moonlight. Dressed completely in black, he looked almost like a shadow.

"Chaotic is overrun with Heartless." He muttered, eyes narrowing, "Even if we clear this place out…will it matter?" His fist clenched over his chest and his voice became strained, "The hole must be closed. How am I supposed to find my heart…when there's nothing but darkness and no hints of my Other?"

No one answered him.

* * *

Oh, more filler. How nice. I'm so mean.  
But I gave you guys a big chapter this time! Six pages!  
So, tell me what you thought, what you think, and what you expect further on in the story. I like feedback, it creates inspiration.  
Xilvin's being cryptic, Xilvin's being cryptic! Cryptic, cryptic, cryptic! This is getting fun! There were a few important things in this chapter though I don't know how relevant it's all going to be to the whole story. Wow, that totally made it sound like I had no idea what I was doing.

Anyway, I'll see you guys in the next chapter! Thanks for reading, please review, and byes!


	15. Fate of the Unknown

Might be more filler. Might not be. Who knows. X3

* * *

**15: Fate of the Unknown

* * *

  
**

"_Tonight's shows contain scenes of: violence, profane language, blood, demonology, gore, heads getting blowed up, butt-grabbing, lust, gluttony, alchemy, criminal conduct, property damage, mutilation, and otherwise immoral and offensive behavior. You're welcome." –[adult swim]

* * *

  
_

"The Heartless are getting more daring." Luxord shuffled his worn out deck of cards and set them out for a game of Solitaire, "Four…five…six…seven…One…two…three…"

"You think they're looking for a way out?" Roxas asked from his perch atop a vending machine. He seemed to have a thing for sitting in high places, "Or maybe the Heart of the World?"

"They know they're being cornered." Xilvin put in, his monotonous voice tweaked a bit by annoyance, "They're irritating."

"Yeah, well, you're heart is in there somewhere, Xil, buddy." Axel said with a grin, "Lucky, lucky you."

"Yeah, yeah, lucky me." The Howling Storm snorted indifferently, "Where'd Saix go?"

"Back to The World That Never Was." Demyx said and Luxord cuffed him in the back of the head without looking up from his game, "Ouch! Jerk."

Xilvin winced suddenly and squeezed his eyes shut…

"_I've got a match in Chaotic tonight," Tom says, smiling to cover up his worry, "Wanna come and watch?"_

"_Nah," He replies, rubbing the tiredness from his eyes, "I stayed up all night working on my project. I think I'll just go home and sleep."_

When he opened them again, he found the gaze of every Organization member on him. He decided that he didn't like it.

"Quit staring, it's rude." He muttered and slipped out of the room. The OverWorld Cafeteria was practically empty save for most of the staff members and Joseph Khaos. The latter gave Xilvin a cold look that he ignored as he wandered into the noisy Mipedian Cafeteria.

"—_I love you but does that mean I have to walk on water? When we are older you will understand it's enough when I say so. And maybe some things are that simple!"_ A boy Xilvin recognized as Nick and a girl were singing into the karaoke machine, _"When you walk away you don't hear me say, "Pleeeeeeaaaasssseeeee, oh baby, don't go!" Simple and clean is the way that you're making me feeeeeeeeeel tonight! It's hard to let it go!"_

The Howling Storm shook his head, walked up to the buffet, grabbed himself an apple, and sat down at a table. As he bit into the apple, the table thumped and he looked up to see Tom smiling at him from a chair across the tabletop.

"I thought you hated me."

"I thought Nobodies didn't have emotions." Tom replied cheekily.

"What makes you saw that?" Xilvin asked through another mouthful of fruit.

"You have this annoyed expression on your face."

Xilvin hurriedly threw up a mask of indifference and Tom laughed.

"Now you look pissed!"

"Quiet you." Xilvin grumbled, turning away to watch the other teens playing karaoke.

"_Hooooolllld me! Whatever lies beyond this moooorrrrrninnnggg is a little later on! Regardless of warnings the future doesn't scare me at aaaalllll! Nothing's like before!"_

"Kaz would _never_ sing karaoke." Tom said slowly and The Howling Storm glanced at him but the boy was looking at the singers, "One time, I even offered him some of my best scans and he flat out refused. It was pretty funny."

"If you're trying to get me up there it's not happening."

"Ha…ha, ha…" Tom started chuckling, covering his mouth with his hand, trying to hold back his laughs, "Aha…ahahahaha…" It didn't work, "AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! HAHA! AAAAHAHAHAHAHA!" He was practically falling out of his chair with laughter.

"What're you laughing at?" The embarrassed growl that came out of Xilvin's mouth startled him but he squashed it down in an attempt to get answers from Tom.

"All this time, since the first second I saw you," Tom had one arm wrapped around his stomach and was wiping tears from his blue eyes with his other, "I've been trying to convince myself that you're not part of Kaz!" The smile on Tom's face was genuine, "But I guess what I really wanted was confirmation that my best friend could come back after all of this done!"

The apple suddenly lost its flavor and The Howling Storm lobbed it into the nearest trash can, "So you really can't stand me, huh?" Something in his throat was burning.

"What?" Tom didn't realize what he'd said.

"_When you walk away you don't hear me say: "Pleeeeeaaasseeeee, oh baby, don't go!" Simple and clean is the way that you're making me feeeeeeeeel tonight! Nothing's like before!"_

"No, I guess I see your point." Xilvin stood up, summoning his whip in a flash of blue and white lights, "I'm going Heartless hunting. See you." He summoned a Passage of Darkness right there, stepped through, and vanished.

"What?" Tom asked himself in wonder, "What'd I say?"

* * *

Xilvin slammed his whip down, sending a shockwave of sound across the floor that eradicated Heartless and ripped up tiles so that they smashed against the walls. Then he spun, using the momentum to lash out with his weapon and destroy several more Heartless. The hot feeling in his throat was like a fire; it made his mouth dry and his tongue tasted nothing but ash.

_Jealousy_.

The word stung his mind as his whip screamed—literally—through the air. Jealousy? Jealousy!? But Nobodies did not have emotions! They felt nothing! They only mimicked them! And what was there to be jealous of anyway!?

_You want Tom to befriend you._ A voice in the back of his head chided, _You want him to forget Kaz and be _your_ friend instead._

"No I don't!" Xilvin shouted, lashing out again and again at the Heartless who stood no chance against the storm Number XIV had become, "I want to find my heart! I want to be a _somebody_ again! I! WANT! MY! HEEEEEAAAARRRRTTTT!"

* * *

_**So, you want your heart, Little Nobody? **_

_Heart. Heart. Heartless. Us. You. Hunger. Hearts._

_**Yes, yes, I know. But it's so much more fun to toy with him. I'll get you some hearts soon enough. **_

_Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Hearts. Fun. Soon. Hearts. Yes. Hunger. Yes._

_**Silence! This task is becoming increasingly difficult. That **_**Keyblade **_**is especially annoying. **_

_Keyblade. Keyblade. Hate. Bad. Heartless. Hunger. Keyblade._

_**I said SILENCE!**_

…………

_**That's much better. Now then, find the Heart of the World…I first need to rid myself of the Organization. Once they are gone those pesky barriers will fade and the world will be at **_**my**_** disposal. But it's hard enough by myself…**_

_Hard. Hard. Barriers. Hunger. My. My. My. My. My. Heart. World. Hunger._

_**I told you to be QUIET! I need someone to create chaos with me. Someone strong enough to survive the darkness. **_

_Chaos. Hunger. Strong. Chaos. Survive._

_**Yes…chaos…just might do the trick…**_

* * *

"Xilvin's mad at you?" Tobias turned away from the oven where he was stirring a large pot of stew, "But Nobodies don't have emotions."

"That's what Roxas said." Tom said, attempting to steal a hunk of cheese from a bowl and getting his hand slapped by a cook, "But Xilvin seemed, I dunno, really upset about something."

"What did you say to him?" The oldest Khaos brother asked, sprinkling a tiny bit of spice into the stew.

"What do you mean?"

"What were you talking about before he left?"

"Um…" Tom thought back for a moment, "I was saying how I was happy that now I knew there was a way to get Kaz back when this was all over with. And before that I—."

"You hurt his feelings." Tobias said sharply, "Or, at the very least, made him feel unwanted. If a Nobody does not have feelings and so cannot get them hurt, then if they are rejected it would probably give them the sense that they are not needed." Tobias pushed his glasses up his nose so he could glare at Tom, "If I felt unwanted, I would want to _fade away_."

Tom's eyes widened in realization and panic. Roxas had explained to him, soon after Xilvin had appeared, that when a Nobody runs out of strength and energy they Fade and disappear back into darkness, never to be seen again.

If Xilvin Faded then there would be no way for Kaz to come back.

Tom bolted from the kitchen, ran through three of the Cafeterias, and burst into the Organization's room. It was empty; no doubt the members were out hunting Heartless. Tom barreled across the room and slammed into the doors that led to the hallway. Surprisingly, they burst open and he fell to the floor.

Forcing himself to his feet, he took off down the halls to search for the Howling Storm.

* * *

_**How kind of them to leave the door open…this is the perfect opportunity for you. Go.**_

_Feeeeeeeeeeed._

* * *

That's not considered a cliffhanger, is it?

Way to go Tom, leave the Cafeteria, real smart. Oh wait, it's Tom, Mr. I'm-Never-Wrong. Ha, ha.

Just wait and see. You'll get what's coming to you…A BUS! MWAHAHAHA! Okay, no, I'm kidding.

Anyway, I'll see you guys next chapter! Stick around, this is slowly turning from a Chaotic fan fiction to a Kingdom Hearts fan fiction.

Thanks for reading, please review, and see ya'!

(p.s. For those of you who don't know, that song is "Simple and Clean" from the first Kingdom Hearts game. X3)


	16. The Parting of Thomas Majors

I guess it's pretty obvious by now that I hadn't watched the first episode of the new season until up to this point since I've kept saying how much of a jerk Tom was for cheating against Kaz. So I'm formally apologizing for my behavior. On the other hand, it doesn't change the fact that I still don't like him; he's got an ego the size of Crystal Range, he seems to be quite good at psychological abuse, and he's so freaking whiny!

I think he needs to get some sense knocked into him…

* * *

**16: The Parting of Thomas Majors

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**

"_No human is ever a one-man show. Every decision that you make will effect the countless people who care about you." –Genkai from Yu Yu Hakusho

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_

"I'm an idiot! I'm such an idiot!" Tom cried, barreling around a corner at top speed, bouncing off the opposite wall, and rocketing down the hallway, "I'm _such_ an idiot! I shouldn't have gone out here by myself!"

A series of Heartless that looked like coconuts on legs were chasing after him. Each one had a little coil of fabric sticking out of the top of its head and hungry looking yellow eyes. And they were relentless. He'd been running from them for ten minutes. His gym teacher would have been proud.

"No way!" Tom swore loudly, skidding to a halt as four of the coconut shaped Heartless popped out of thin air in front of him, "Crap, crap, crap, crap—AAAAHHHHHHGG!"

One of the Heartless who'd been chasing him suddenly rammed into his back and exploded, sending a wave of searing pain across his back, arms, and neck. Tom fell to the floor, struggling to get back up despite the agony thrumming through him. Another Heartless exploded against his leg and he screamed, feeling hot blood soak his jeans.

_What a stupid way to go._ His mind offered unhelpfully as another Heartless threw itself at him. He rolled against the wall panting, head spinning, _Blown up by coconuts. Peyton would never let it down._

Tom looked up to see the avid yellow gaze of a coconut-Heartless staring him down. The strand atop its head was sparking as it wound down. Tom squeezed his eyes shut and threw his arms over his head, preparing for the explosion.

A painful screech made his ears pop and he stuffed his fingers in them, cringing at the power of it. When it died down, he cracked an eye open and found that Heartless had vanished.

"Tom!?" Xilvin's husky voice sounded just behind him and the boy rolled over painfully, gasping as he saw his damaged leg smear crimson across the tile, "What are you _doing_ out here!?"

"Looking…for you!" Tom hissed between clenched teeth, letting the Howling Storm aid him in getting to his feet, "I'm sorry for saying…those things to you. It was really, really…insensitive…and stuff…"

"Forget about that! We have to get you back inside the Cafete—!"

Thorny vines shot out of the floor and grabbed Xilvin and Tom around their waists, dragging Xilvin to one wall and Tom to the other. Xilvin struggled against their hold, yanking with all his might and snapping his whip at them but they only tightened and he gasped as his air was cut off.

Tom winced as his injured back was slammed against the wall. He pulled against the vines as well but it was to no avail. Creepy, flower-like Heartless popped out of the floor, obviously the source of the vines. Tom panicked. He was deep in over his head this time and no one could get him out.

"Sing for me!" Xilvin shouted from across the hall, "Resonate, Souls of the Fated!" The whip in his immobile fist thrashed as though it had a life of its own and lashed out across the hall to slice through the vines holding Tom, "Run, you moron!" Xilvin screamed as Tom stumbled away from the wall, "Get back to the Cafeteria! Forget about me! This is nothing! Go! NOW!"

Tom bolted as fast as he could with an injured leg. Which was pretty fast due to the adrenaline muting the pain. But if he hadn't been injured, things might have turned out for the better.

Shapes detached themselves from the shadows of the walls and wove across the floor towards Tom who was too pained and exhausted to notice. As he staggered forward, a Neoshadow leapt from the floor in front of him and, in a single fluid motion, plunged its clawed hand into the boy's chest.

Tom's eyes widened slowly.

He felt the cold, dark fingers close around his heart.

Pain fired into every shred of his being.

_I wonder…_ He thought vaguely, _If this is what it feels like…to die…_

Then he collapsed into darkness.

* * *

Xilvin saw the Neoshadows heading towards Tom and tried even harder to get away from the Creeper Plants holding him back.

He was too late.

He watched, helpless, as Tom lost his heart to the darkness and vanished in a sparkled of gold, blue, and white lights.

The vines slid away and the Heartless disappeared. Xilvin looked about, stunned.

_It had been a trap…!_

* * *

When Xilvin stumbled into the OverWorld Cafeteria, exhausted, covered in bloody gashes, his black cloak torn, and a distraught air coming from him, the Organization went on high alert.

Their barrier had already been compromised by Tom's shenanigans and it had put everyone with heart at risk. Luckily, no Heartless had entered the Cafeterias while they had remained unguarded for almost ten minutes. But when Xilvin described the assault that had been launched on himself and Tom and the resulting scenario, cold, grim expressions etched themselves onto every face. Even Axel looked serious.

"This is worse than we first anticipated." Luxord murmured, stroking his pale blonde goatee, "We realized that the Heartless weren't acting as they normally would have but we contributed that to the fact that they were locked inside this building." His eyes narrowed, "That, it seems, is not the case."

"They were _thinking_," Demyx fidgeted uneasily, "Well, not the Heartless directly but—."

"What Demyx is trying to say," Roxas interrupted, "Is that someone is controlling the Heartless. And the only way to do that is to be a Nobody with no fear of losing our hearts, master the powers of darkness—something your heart has to be pretty strong to do—, or actually _become_ a sentient Heartless."

"But the chances of a sentient Heartless being spawned are slim to none." Luxord picked up the explanation again, "The will of your heart to survive the darkness must be exceptionally strong. But where there's one…"

"…More can be made." Axel finished, "A sentient Heartless can forcibly create _another_ sentient Heartless if that heart has the will and strength."

"So a sentient Heartless came through and decided to steal Tom's heart and make more!?" Xilvin shouted.

"No," Luxord responded coldly, "No sentient Heartless exist on the other side of that opening; there is no one whose heart is strong enough." He shot a point-second glance at Roxas but the Key of Destiny didn't notice, "The sentient Heartless was created from one of the hearts of someone here and our best guess is…it's _your_ Heartless."

Xilvin's head spun with the words and that, combined with his injuries and fatigue, caused the Howling Storm to lose his fragile hold on reality. His slipped sideways out of his chair and fell to the floor, completely unconscious.

* * *

Tobias peered into the Danian Cafeteria and saw Scotty and Conner with their ears to the closed doors to the OverWorld Cafeteria, "Scotty! Conner! What do you think you're—!"

"Shhhhhhhh!" The twins shushed him and left the door, leading their older brother back into the UnderWorld Cafeteria.

"We saw Tom run off real quick after talking to you," Scotty said, "And wondered what was up."

"So waited in the Danian Cafeteria for him to come back but he never did." Conner continued, looking upset, "Then there was a bunch of noise coming from the OverWorld Cafeteria and peeked inside. The Organization members were running all over the place inside, yelling and doing something to the wall on the other side."

"That one called Demyx saw us and slammed the door in our faces but we kept listening to them." Scotty picked up the story again, "It sounded like someone busted through the doors into the hallway and left them wide open for those Heartless-monsters to get in! And then it sounded like Xilvin came back and—!"

"TOM LOST HIS HEART!" The twins shouted together, panic edging their voices.

Tobias let out a string of swear words that came out so fast they almost sounded like a single word, "What else did you hear!?" The twins stared at him, "What else did you hear!?"

"Th-they said that Xilvin's Heartless was p-probably controlling the Heartless and that…that…" Conner glanced at his brother but Scotty wasn't looking at either of his brothers, "That he might have taken Tom's heart to turn it into another Heartless like him."

Tobias tensed, turned on his heel, and marched out of the Danian Cafeteria. He slammed open the doors to the Mipedian Cafeteria and glared around at everyone inside, "Listen up!" Every face in the room turned towards him, "_No one_ is to go _anywhere_ without permission! You're all to stay in sight of me or one of my brothers! Is that understood!?"

There were several murmurs of "yes" and Tobias nodded sullenly and walked out again, falling into a chair in the UnderWorld Cafeteria. There, he set his elbows on the tabletop, took his glasses off and set them aside, buried his face in his hands, and started crying.

"Toby…?" Scotty murmured tentatively, putting a hand on his brother's shoulder, "What's…wrong?"

"We're ruined, Scotty." Tobias moaned, "I've failed at everything. I've failed this company, I've failed my employees, I've failed my honored guests, and I've failed you. I've failed my own _family_!"

"That's not true!" Conner grabbed the front of his older brother's jacket, "You can't fall apart now, big bro'! You're the oldest! You're our friggen' _leader_! If you fall apart this whole thing falls apart! We can fix this!" Tears blossomed in Conner's eyes, "We can fix it! We can…fix it…!"

"I'm sorry to break up this family talk," Axel's voice interrupted and the three brother's turned to face the Flurry of the Dancing Flames, "But I think you're gonna like what I've got to say." A grin split his face, "We found a new Nobody."

The name slipped out before Tobias could stop it, "Thomas…?"

* * *

To Courtney911…oh my gosh, can I hug you!? I've never gotten so many reviews before! Thank you for every single one of them! They have given me inspiration to finish this chapter! Hoo-rah! The conquering author makes her triumphant return!

Kaz: What do you mean "author?" You said yourself that you're a wanna-be novelist.

EmptyHeart Death Glare of Doom!

As you can see, I'm going off the deep end here. You people are AMAZING! Thank you for all the reviews and the favorites and everything else you've done! I hug you all! (hugs)

An uncountable number of thank you's to those of you who stick around and wait forever for my updates, even when I'm struggling to get over Writer's Block and it all ends up as the dreaded filler. XD Anyway, I'm going to finish this chapter up and then take a break to complete my Chaotic Christmas shot (to all Sarah**x**Tom fans, I'd steer clear) and my Danny Phantom shot. Look for them! Coming soon to a web page near you!

Thank you all so much for reading, please keep review, and have a very Happy Holiday!


	17. Number XV, Xhostam, the Winged Slayer

I wanted to start this chapter off with a little diversion from Khaos Corporation. We've been spending so much time locked in that building we've forgotten about some people…

And so, a peek into the lives of those who were _not_ lucky enough to go to KC. (oh my gosh, that looks like "Kaiba Corp" from YGO. O.O I never noticed that before. Smoly hokes! I'm never writing it that way again.)

* * *

**17: Number XV, Xhostam, The Winged Slayer

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**

"_Both busy streets and country roads are empty without good friends…" -Xue Tao

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_

Peyton was awaken by three warm bodies jumping on top of his bed and so on top of him. The boy grunted, rolling over and pulling his blankets over his head in an attempt to get his triplet sisters to leave him alone. He needed sleep.

"Wake up, Peyton, wake up!" They chorused, bouncing up and down on top of him, "Wake up! Make us pancakes, Peyton, make us pancakes!" All three of them were eight years old and had a love for their older brother's "everything-in-the-pantry-goes-into-the-mix pancakes."

"Donavan!" Peyton shouted through his covers, "Donavan! Get these guys off of me!"

"Dad's not here!" His sisters laughed, "He left for shopping with Mommy! Make us pancakes, Peyton, make us pancakes!"

"Gah! Fine!" Peyton shoved his covers back, sending the triplets sprawling onto the carpet, and yawned loudly, "Get out of my room! I'm gonna get dressed!"

"Ewwwwww!" All three of them giggled but left anyway, slamming the door shut behind them. Peyton rolled his sleepy eyes and switched on his stereo as he fumbled about the room for something to wear on a typical Saturday morning.

"_Well, maybe tomorrow, we'll forget about this year. And all the things you wish you could change. Show me some kindness in the midst of the hardships. 'Cause things should never be this way. Say it loud, say it loud and clear. Forget about, forget about last year."_

Peyton's family was large. His mother had been pregnant with Peyton's younger brother Joby when her husband had been killed in a car crash. Unable to raise three children on her own—Peyton, his older sister Zoë, and his soon-to-be-younger-brother—, she'd gotten remarried to a kind man named Donavan. After Joby was born, Peyton's mother and Donavan adopted a youngster by the name of Rafael who was a year older than Peyton. Then the unexpected triplets came along; Mercedes (or Mercy for short), Fable, and Louize; and they adored their older brother Peyton to death.

"_Stop wishing it were backwards, it is now or never. Stop wasting all the time we could have spent together. Wishing you would come back here. Times were better last year."_

Peyton pulled a rumpled T-shirt over his head and tugged on some shorts. Then he made the periodic check of his Code Scanner. Still nothing. But he hadn't given up hope yet. After all, his motto was "expect the unexpected."

"_And all of your reasons, they change with the seasons. Day by day they're not the same. And if would measure all the times that we've treasured, you would see how my heart breaks."_

The boy dropped his Scanner back on the desk, feeling slightly downtrodden. Sarah had disappeared off to Colorguard camp and Tom and Kaz weren't answering their e-mails or messages on the Chaotic website. Peyton was lonely.

"_Say it loud, say it loud and clear. Forget about, forget about last year. Stop wishing it were backwards, it is now or never. Stop wasting all the time we could have spent together. Wishing you would come back here. Times were better last year."_

What in the world was everyone doing?

* * *

If Xilvin had any idea what depression felt like, he was sure it felt like this. There was a dead feeling in his stomach and a heavy weight on his shoulders, he felt constantly exhausted, and he wasn't eating as much. The Howling Storm now spent most of his time with the newly spawned Xhostam.

Xhostam was, without a doubt, Tom Majors' Nobody; he had jet black hair that stuck out at the oddest angels and fell into his pale, blue-violet eyes at the most inconvenient times, he was short, wiry, and clumsy to the point that it was comical, and his voice had a slight nasal quality to it that made him more obnoxious than he already was. He was the complete opposite of his Other.

"Aren't ya' gonna eat, Xil?" Xhostam asked through a mouthful of spaghetti, "If you don't eat, you're gonna not be able to fight."

"I'm not hungry." To be honest, Xilvin found Xhostam to be an annoyance that followed him around like a leech. Anywhere the Howling Storm went the Winged Slayer was hot on his heels, something Xilvin did not appreciate.

Kaz's Nobody was in a bad way. He felt solely responsible for the loss of Tom's heart and the generating of the Nobody and Heartless that had been left behind. To make matters worse, the revelation that his and Xhostam's Heartless were sentient and making dangerous plans put a knot in his stomach.

Xilvin poked his fork into his mashed potatoes, stirring it around so that it got mixed with his baked beans and became a lumpy mess that made him want to eat it even less. He pushed his plate away with a snort of repulsion, crossed his arms over his chest, and glared across the table at Xhostam. The other Nobody didn't even seem to care. In fact, he completely ignored Xilvin, continuing to gorge himself.

"You gonna eat that?" The Winged Slayer indicated Xilvin's practically untouched food and The Howling Storm shook his head, "Mine then!" Xhostam grabbed the plate and started eating it.

"You eat _a lot_." Xilvin muttered, "Almost an unnecessary amount. You're going to get fat."

"Psh," Xhostam waved his fork through the air, dissipating the comment, "You don't eat _at all_ so you can't talk!" The fork fell from his fingers, bounced off the table top, and tumbled to the floor. Xhostam cringed, kneading his knuckles into his forehead, and whimpered. Pictures blurred into his mind's eye, choppy and jumping like an old film, the voices faded and muffled…

_He watches as Kaz; clumsy, accident prone Kaz; leaps up the rock face like it was nobody's business. Well, that can't be right. _

"_I'd…better make sure he doesn't hurt himself…" He says and grabs a vine dangling from the rock in front of him. But as he scrabbles upwards, he slips and falls all the way back down. Sarah gives him a look and he turns his gaze upwards. Kaz is already at the top and doesn't look tired at all. What's wrong with this picture? …_

_Kaz is fighting? Kaz doesn't fight! That's completely against his nature! What's happening!? Kaz is fighting like a creature! Impossible! How!? Why!? _

"What did you see?" Xilvin's voice cut through the afterimage as the pictures faded from Xhostam's mind.

"I think it was your Other…" The Winged Slayer scratched his head, blinking, "But it was really fuzzy, I could hardly hear what was going on." Pale blue-violet eyes met bright hazel ones, "What was it?"

"Memories of your Other." Xilvin muttered, "I have them too but mine are…crystal clear." Xhostam's expression crumpled and for a moment Xilvin forgot that he and Number XV were not supposed to feel emotions. The Winged Slayer looked absolutely distraught, "Come on," The Howling Storm got to his feet, "Let's go Heartless hunting."

* * *

The hallways on three floors were completely empty. Xilvin and Xhostam wandered through them, bored and consumed with conflicting thoughts. When they stepped out of a stairwell and into a hall with boxes stacked towards the ceiling, Xhostam froze, eyes widening.

"What?" Xilvin peered around him and suddenly it was as through someone had pasted the footage on top of the real hall. The figures were blurred around the edges and slightly translucent but he could clearly hear every word.

_Hoof beats pounding down the hall…_

_Falling…_

_The agony as the steel shaft at the end of the spear pins him to the floor…_

_Tears…_

_Screaming…_

_Watching Tom run ahead without looking back…_

_Help…me…_

_Fading…everything is going black…_

_Darkness_

"Hee hee, aha…ahahaahaa!" Mocking laughter rang down the hallway and Xilvin and Xhostam jumped, spinning around on the spot but there was no one there, "AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAH! Look at the little lost Nobodies! Ahahahaha! Can't find their hearts! How sad! AHAHAHAHAAAAHAAA!"

"Who's there!?" Xilvin's whip burst into his gloved hands as he glared around, still finding no one.

"Show yourself!" Xhostam's own weapons, a pair of steel gauntlets decorated with white wings and tipped in claws swirled over his hands in a mist of lights.

"Ahee, hee, hee, hee!" The voice continued laughing, sounding more insane by the minute, "Show myself? Should I? But it's so much fun to watch you…" Xhostam jolted as fingers wrapped around his throat and a chilly voice hissed into his ear, "Squirm!"

"Get away!" Xhostam slashed backwards with his clawed gauntlets and was rewarded with a snarl of pain. He forward flipped away from his offender and spun to face him. The resolve seeped out of him as he stared at the figure before him.

Their hair was jet black, just like his, but shaggier and the right side of their face was covered by most of it. An angry, piercing, neon blue eye glared at him. Etched underneath this eye was a dark violet mark, like a scar that had been stitched up. A tight black jacket was stretched over a pale chest, the color a fluff of silver fur, the front laced together with black and red strings. A black and red collar decorated with spikes was clamped around their neck, on their left hand was a fingerless black glove, and their midriff was showing where their black pants hung low over their hips. A silver half-cloth swung from a belt around their waist and the ends of their pants were tucked into heavy black boots.

And smack dab in the middle of their jacket was the Heartless symbol.

It was Tom's Heartless.

* * *

Woot! Sorry for the short chapter but I had to cut it off there otherwise, well, it would have gotten too long. The next chapter's gonna be nasty good! Mwahahahaha!

On the account that Underwater Maiden had revealed to me our beloved Kaz's real name, I have already gone back to the previous chapters, fixed that mistake, and reposted them. Oh yes, she also reminded me that Chaotic did originally start out as a card game that eventually became what it is today. That was not factored into the Khaos brothers' back story simply because I didn't know how to work it in at the time. I find that, because not many people actually know this fact, it could go on ignored. However, if you lovely peoples believe it needs to be written in then by all means PM me.

On the other hand, have a Happy Holiday and a Great New Year! Thank you for sticking around, reading, and reviewing! Please continue to do so! Byes! Hope you get what you want for Christmas!  
(P.S. My Chaotic Christmas shot has been posted!)


	18. The Shadows Lengthen

Left you with a mean cliffhanger last chapter, didn't I? Hmm, yes, I did. Ah well, this will satisfy your needs. Hopefully.

* * *

**18: The Shadows Lengthen

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**

"_There's so many idiots whose a$$es I have to kick! I'm gonna have to start carrying a list just to keep track of them all!" –Edward Elric from FullMetal Alchemist

* * *

  
_

The resolve seeped out of him as he stared at the figure before him.

Their hair was jet black, just like his, but shaggier and the right side of their face was covered by most of it. An angry, piercing, neon blue eye glared at him. Etched underneath this eye was a dark violet mark, like a scar that had been stitched up. A tight black jacket was stretched over a pale chest, the color a fluff of silver fur, the front laced together with black and red strings. A black and red collar decorated with spikes was clamped around their neck, on their left hand was a fingerless black glove, and their midriff was showing where their black pants hung low over their hips. A silver half-cloth swung from a belt around their waist and the ends of their pants were tucked into heavy black boots.

And smack dab in the middle of their jacket was the Heartless symbol.

It was Tom's Heartless.

"Hee hahaha!" The Heartless snickered, looking almost insane as he straightened up, the slash in his stomach healing over with a swirl of black energy, "Hee, hee, hee, hee! Ahaaaaaaahahahahahahahahaha!" He suddenly doubled over, laughing manically, a wild light spinning in his vivid blue eye as he stared at Xhostam, "You're so pathetic, Nobody! Ahaaaaahahahahahaaaaaahahaha-aaahhggggkk!" The Heartless's hideous expression of glee melted into one of shock and anger as a pale blue whip wrapped around his throat and dragged him to the tile floor.

Xilvin stood over Tom's Heartless, fist clenched tightly over the handle of his whip as he brought it up to stab the small blade on the end of it into the Heartless. Tom's Heartless sniggered brokenly, digging his fingers underneath the whip to try and free himself,

"You g-gonna kill me, little Nobody? Hee…hee hahahaha…" The Heartless switched his gaze to Xhostam who was still standing in shock, "If you do…hee hee hee…you d-destroy Tom's only ch-chance to…ahahaha…come back!"

Xilvin hesitated and the Heartless growled in a maniacal sort of way, raising one hand and blasting the Howling Storm off his feet. Then Tom's Heartless ripped the whip off from around his neck and tossed it aside, half giggling, half growling.

He stomped over to Xilvin, grabbed the front of the Nobody's cloak, and threw him as hard as he could against the wall. Xilvin crumpled, the wall cracking and dust showering down over him, and he slid to the floor, unconscious.

"Want your heart back, Nobody scum?" Tom's Heartless rounded on Xhostam who couldn't seem to get himself under control, "Ya' want it? Aheeheehee!" The Heartless let out a sneering laugh and slid closer to the Winged Slayer, "It's right in here! Drowned in darkness! Ahahaha!" He tapped his chest, "Heeeehahahahaaaaaa! Come and get it!"

Tom's Heartless lunged at Xhostam but an arm suddenly came out of thin air and caught him in the chest, knocking him off his feet and onto the floor. A chest followed the arm and then a whole person stepped out of the air. They were a little taller than Tom's Heartless and their skin was darker like they'd been out in the sun for a while. A pair of glasses, the lenses tinted dark violet sat on their nose, in front of glittering crimson eyes, their top was odd; it was trimmed in white, had no right sleeve, and the collar only came up on the left shoulder; there was a silver band clamped around the upper part of their right arm and two more on his lower arm were they held a white-trimmed black glove. Underneath the top, there was a sort of black, half skit with three belts that held it up to their chest and underneath that was a pair heavy black pants that sagged over a pair of black shoes.

The Heartless symbol glowed on their chest.

Kaz's Heartless, without a single doubt.

"Nameless!" Tom's Heartless half whined, half snarled, getting to his feet and glaring angrily at Kaz's Heartless, "What the _heck_!? I was just starting to have fun!"

"Exactly why I intruded." Nameless hissed, red eyes narrowing, "You, Odium, foolishly revealed us to _them_!" Kaz's Heartless pointed at Xhostam who was shaken so badly he was frozen, "Our plans are RUINED!"

"Tch," Odium spat, "They already knew."

Nameless slapped Odium with a crack that echoed down the hallway, "Idiot!" He growled, "Get back into the Realm of Darkness if you know what's good for you!"

Odium giggled and then started outright laughing. He pushed past Nameless and leered over Xhostam, nearly falling over from laughter.

"Go back and tell that stupid Organization," Tom's Heartless hooted, "Ahaaaahahahahaha! Tell them that Odium and Lord Nameless are gonna kick their butts! Ahahahahahahaheeheehahahahaha!"

Nameless suddenly reached forward and grabbed the back of Odium's jacket, hauling him away. Still holding onto the howling Odium, Nameless' cold eyes flitted over to the horrified Xhostam.

"Here's a parting gift." Kaz's spiky haired Heartless reached out, placed his hand on the Winged Storm's chest, and let loose a blast of super-heated dark energy that made Xhostam stumble backwards. When he'd recovered and looked up again, the two Heartless were gone.

Xhostam's legs collapsed underneath him and he crashed to the floor. Tears streamed from his eyes. He realized how vulnerable he and Xilvin were and crawled over the tile floor to the Howling Storm. He looped a shaking arm around his fellow Nobody's waist, raised a hand, and summoned a Passage of Darkness. Then, with much effort and sniffling, he dragged himself and his companion into the portal, ignoring as much as he could the agony blazing in his chest.

* * *

Xhostam collapsed onto a soft carpeted floor, his heading spinning with pain and his breath coming up short. He was well aware of Xilvin's warm presence beside him and…wait a second. Xhostam pushed himself off of his stomach, eyes starting to blur as his consciousness was twisted in circles. There was deep red staining the back of Xilvin's orange-red hair and it was seeping down his neck.

"Xil?" The Winged Slayer put his gloved fingertips to the dark spot on the Howling Storm's head and felt the fabric of his glove become damp. Xhostam stared at the dark blood on his hands, breathing quickening as he comprehended just what was happening, "Xilvin! Xilvin! Wake up!" Darkness was tugging at his mind, he could barely stay upright anymore, "Xilvin! Come on, don't Fade on me!" Images blurred together with sounds. People's voices and the black fabric of Xilvin's cloak, "Xilviiiiiiiinnnnnnn!" Tears blurred everything, darkness converged on him, and he sank to the floor, dead to the world.

* * *

Everything came back into focus slowly.

First it was sound and then, as he opened his eyes, sight. He had to blink a couple of times to get everything into focus and when he did, he found himself on his stomach on a mattress with a thick blanket pulled over him. With a groan, Xilvin struggled upright but a throbbing pain at the back of his head made him collapse as the room tilted crazily around him.

"Yeah, I wouldn't move if I were you." It was Demyx, no one else could sound that tentative, "You got hit in the back of the head pretty bad. What happened to you two?"

"Xhostam…?" The Howling Storm whispered and his vision blurred with the effort.

"Passed out. The front of his cloak was blasted off and there was a nasty burn mark on his chest. He's still not awake."

"Uhhhhgg…" Xilvin screwed his eyes shut, trying to control the spinning feeling in his head, "There was…a Heartless…"

"A Heartless did this to you?"

"Tom's Heartless…" A hot sensation made Xilvin's blood boil, "He was…laughing at us…mocking us…with his heart…" Xilvin winced as pain of a different kind stabbed into his mind.

_A rustling in the bushes. He turns around but there's nothing there. Suspicion makes him creep closer as more of the foliage moves. He squints at it but there doesn't seem to be—_

_Something rises out of the greenery, he only catches a glimpse of its liquid-like body crackling with energy before it shoots forward and _through_ him! He stumbles backwards and spins around, eyes wide with fear and wonder. What _was _that!? He felt it go through his body and…and take something from him! Confused and flooded with curiosity, he dashes off into the forest, trying to chase after what he assumes is the ever illusive Iparu…_

Brow furrowing, Xilvin pushed himself upright again, ignoring the spiraling sensation that made it feel like the room was trying to tip him over. He staggered to his feet, cringing from the pain, and stumbled into Demyx who caught him.

"Take it easy! What if you Fade!?"

"I'm not…not gonna Fade!" Xilvin growled, shoving himself away form the Melodious Nocturne, "Where's Xhostam!?"

"Over there." Demyx pointed and Xilvin turned around slowly to see the Winged Slayer stretched out on a table top. Number XV's cloak was missing, as was the shirt he'd worn underneath, and Xilvin could see the raw and shiny skin left by a third degree burn.

"Why haven't you healed it!?" The Howling Storm growled, glaring his hazel eyes at the unfortunate Demyx. Under any other circumstance, it would have been hilarious to see a grown man cringing away from a teenager.

"We just got you two in here." Xilvin turned away from Demyx to look at Luxord who was standing in the doorway. Two faces peered past him; Roxas and Axel, "You only came back a few moments ago. How Xhostam managed to remain conscious with a wound like he has now is a great feat."

"I don't care!" Xilvin snapped and jabbed a finger at the unconscious Xhostam, "_Heal_ him!"

"Roxas…" Luxord motioned and the Key of Destiny moved past him, summoning Oathkeeper with flourish. Roxas stepped up to the Winged Slayer, raised the Keyblade, and whispered a single word that the Howling Storm was unable to catch. Green light accompanied by flowers and tinkling bells descended across Xhostam and the horrid burn on his chest faded away. Roxas moved away as the Winged Slayer groaned, opened his eyes, and sat upright, blinking a couple of times. He noticed all the Nobodies gathered around him, let his eyes settle briefly on Xilvin, then got up and dashed out of the room.

Xilvin barreled past a rather surprised looking Axel and tried to follow. He caught up with the Winged Slayer in the bathroom. Xhostam was leaning over a sink with the tap running, tears streaming down his face; he was practically screaming he was crying so hard.

"Xhostam?" Xilvin said tentatively, "What's up?"

"I…I…I know A-Axel said we w-w-weren't supp-pposed to f-feel anything!" Xhostam cried, bare shoulders shaking, "B-but I w-w-was s-so scared! I c-couldn't do a-a-a-anything! Even wh-when they were k-k-killing you! I was j-j-j-just t-to sc-scared!" He sank to the floor, sobbing.

Xilvin crouched down beside him, a cold sensation spread across his chest as he put a comforting hand Xhostam's shoulder, "Hey, it'll be okay. We can deal with this. We'll get our hearts back and then everything will be the way it's supposed to be. Okay?"

Xhostam nodded and sniffed, wiping his face with the back of his hand, "I saw Kaz's H-Heartless." He whispered, "H-he was s-so…evil…"

"Enough." Xilvin said, shaking his head, "We'll talk about this later." He stood up and pulled Xhostam to his feet as well. Then he shut off the water and headed for the door.

"Xil?" The Howling Storm stopped, his hand resting on the door handle. Xhostam sounded so small and alone.

"Yeah?"

"Do you…does your chest ache when they get close to you too?"

Xilvin looked at the tile floor beneath his heavy black boots, hazel eyes narrowing and dimming as he thought back to what it had been like around the sentient Heartless, "Yes." He whispered softly, "The empty space inside of me was calling for the heart that was wrapped in their darkness." He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment or two and then slammed the door open and stomped out. Xhostam followed a little ways behind.

Both of them ignored the stares and whispers of the humans who were wondering what had transpired outside the Cafeterias.

* * *

Would it be cliché of me to say things are getting a little chaotic? (grin)

It seems to me that even though they said that Nobodies could only copy emotions and couldn't really fell them, that in KH 2 Axel genuinely cared about Roxas. I mean, he was really upset when Roxas left, wasn't he? And how can you fake friendship? They were _best_ friends! So there.

Baka chapter titles. I couldn't think of good one. Went through, like, three. Looked through all my manga for a good idea. Ended up reading them really. Grrrr.

Thanks for reading, please leave me a review, and have a great day!


	19. Danger Ahead

Ooooh, look we're almost to chapter twenty! Yeah! I always like getting into the twenties even though I'd like to hit thirty sometime. Maybe the AU I'm cooking up will reach thirty?

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**19: Danger Ahead

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"_When I was turned into a Heartless…I was lost in the darkness. I couldn't find my way. As I stumbled through the dark, I started forgetting things—my friends, who I was. The darkness almost swallowed me. But then…I heard your voice. You brought me back. Our hearts are connected. Even if we're apart, we're not alone anymore." – Sora from the Kingdom Hearts manga adapted by Shiro Amano

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_

"FOOL!" Nameless roared, slapping Odium again and sending the Heartless tumbling to the floor, "IMBICLE!" He kicked Odium in the stomach, "MORON!" He reached down and grabbed the front of Odium's jacket and hauled him upright so he could glare into that one solid, neon blue eye, "DO YOU EVER _THINK_ BEFORE YOU ACT!? FOOL!"

Odium giggled, wrapping his fingers around Nameless' wrists and grinning, "You know I only like it when you hit me!" He laughed, throwing his head back and shaking with evil glee in his fellow Heartless' grip.

Nameless growled in an inhuman way and threw Odium across the room so that he slammed into a wall. Odium howled with laughter and rolled across the floor, pounding his fists on the carpet. It was sickening really. The Heartless was sadistic at best and masochistic at worst. But that, Nameless supposed, made him all the more dangerous.

The two sentient Heartless had holed themselves up in the highest level of the Khaos Corporation building they could reach; a place that had, until very recently, been home to the Khaos brothers (and sister) themselves. Now it was a disaster; in his rages, Nameless had destroyed furniture and ripped chunks of carpet from the floor, he'd blasted walls apart, and even ripped the fridge out of the wall. It now lay across the kitchen floor with parts of it scattered everywhere. Odium had taken it upon himself to find every sharp object in the place and claim it as his own. What he did with them was anyone's guess but Nameless was rather sure he did not want to find out.

"Get up off the floor, you're a disgrace." Nameless stated coldly, turning away from the sniggering Odium. He fell into a leather arm chair and leaned his head against the back, closing his deep red eyes. He'd created Odium because taking on the Organization XIII members would prove too tricky on his own. He was currently regretting it; Tom's Heartless was wild, childish, and loved torture, even if the torture was on himself. Lord Nameless, on the other hand, was cold, ruthless, and what some would call the pure embodiment of evil. He was usually calm and collected but when he lost is temper it was a frightful sight to behold.

"So what're we gonna do about the Organization?" Odium was on his stomach on the floor, stabbing the end of his left index finger into a knife he seemed to have pulled from nowhere. Instead of blood welling from the cuts he was giving himself, a dark liquid bubbled to the surface but was quickly sucked back in as the minor injury healed itself.

"Attack them where it would hurt them the most." Nameless said coldly, "Care to guess where, Odium."

Odium snickered and tilted his head back, looking at Nameless with a jovial light gleaming in his eye, "Their Key Bearer?"

"Indeed." Nameless hissed with an evil smile.

* * *

"So, they both showed themselves." Luxord was stroking his blonde goatee with a frown, "This is…troublesome."

"Yeah, but it was obvious that Lord Nameless didn't want us to know about them." Xhostam said, "He got really mad when he found Odium…playing with us."

The Organization XIII members were all in the OverWorld Cafeteria discussing what needed to be done. Xilvin, Xhostam, and Demyx were sitting at a table together, a basket of fries between them, Axel was leaning against the window looking nonchalant and pissed at the same time, Luxord was currently leaning against a table though he had been pacing for most of the conversation, and Roxas was on his usual spot atop a vending machine.

"You said Nameless seemed power?" Roxas said, "How did you know?"

"I just knew." The Winged Slayer said, shaking his head, "There was this creepy sense of evil reeking off him and I got the feeling that if I'd even blinked wrong at him he would have ripped me to shreds!"

"How powerful did he seem to you?" Axel asked, the tone in his voice suggesting it might be fun to find out.

"Like…like OVER 9000!" Xhostam shouted, slamming his hands on the table top. The other Nobodies stared at him with blank expressions and Xilvin groaned in exasperation, reached across the table, put his hand on the back of Xhostam's messy black hair, and slammed the Winged Slayer's head onto the table top without so much as a flicker of regret for his actions.

"Owwwwwww!" Xhostam whined, putting his gloved hands to his forehead where a red spot was starting to grow, "What the _heck_ Xilvin!?" He screwed his eyes shut with pain, whimpering and making pained noises.

"Cut it out, Xhostam," Axel said irritably, "He didn't hurt you _that_ badly!"

"M-m-memories…!" The Winged Slayer groaned, "Ahhhhhggg! Make them _stop_!" His gauntlets appeared as a reflex to his agony and gouged huge lines in the tabletop. The hazy visions before his eyes did not vanish, though…

_He sets his face into an angry glare and clenches his fists. He stomps up to Kaz and shoves him aside angrily, saying with as much rage and hurt as he can, "If the Codemasters decide that I cheated I'll be kicked out of Chaotic_ forever_!" _

_Kaz's expression is a mixture of things; pain, a little anger, and some sort of disbelief are etched there—those are all fake. But he can see the delight echoing behind his best friend's glasses; he's enjoying the acting…_

The picture jumped a couple of times and the colors smeared into gray. It froze in his mind for a few seconds, and then slowly dripped away as though it was fading forever into the farthest reaches of his mind, never to be seen again.

"What did you see?" It was a compulsive question. The more he discovered about his Other, the more he realized just how opposite they were. But it didn't matter; he just wanted the visuals, the remembrances of what it was like to have a heart at all.

"I…I dunno…" Xhostam's gloved hands went through his already disheveled hair over and over again, messing it up even more. The rest of the Nobodies were silent; watching, waiting, listening, "It was all fuzzy and muffled…I could barely see it. But it looked…it looked like Tom and Kaz were…were fighting but it wasn't real they were just faking it…for some reason…"

"Why are your Others' memories so hard to see?" Xilvin wasn't really asking the question to anyone—it was more rhetorical than anything.

"Because he's more settled as a Nobody than you are." Axel muttered, sitting down on a table top, resting his elbows on his knees, and cupping his chin in his hands, "Xhostam's like me—." Xilvin glared at the Flurry of the Dancing Flames, "Well, sort of. In the way that he's accepted he might never get his heart back ever again."

"You've given up!?" The Howling Storm rounded on pale-eyed Xhostam who jerked backwards in surprise, "You can't give up! We found them, Xhostam, we've finally found them and now you want to give up!? No!" He stood up, slamming his hands on the table top as he went. A hot sensation was burning just underneath his collar bone, "Fine! You give up! Stay a Nobody forever! See if I care! But I'm not letting go! I'm going to find that stupid Heartless and I'm gonna get my heart back!" He turned on his heel and stomped out of the Cafeteria, letting the door slam shut behind him.

The Danian Cafeteria was empty so he fumed his way through it, wove through the mess in the UnderWorld Cafeteria, and fell into a shadowed corner seat in the Mipedian Cafeteria with snort of discontent. Then he paused, thinking about what had just happened. He'd lost his temper, been upset with Xhostam for giving up.

But that couldn't be right.

Nobodies didn't have emotions.

How could he lose something he never had?

"You look a little down." Xilvin's hazel eyes flickered upwards and briefly caught Leon Khaos' gaze as he sat down across from the Howling Storm.

"Don't patronize me." Xilvin hissed, turning away, "I can't feel anything."

"Not from where I'm standing." Leon glanced at himself, "Sitting." He quickly corrected and then shook himself, "Look, either way, I can tell something's eating you. You know you can talk to me, right? I won't bite your heads off like the twins do."

Xilvin found himself talking before he knew what he was saying, "Xhostam and I went out Heartless hunting and we ran into our own Heartless. It went…rather badly. It scared the crap out of Xhostam. We were just talking about it with the other Organization members and…" He faltered slightly, "It sounded like Xhostam wanted to quit."

"Quit? You mean like quit the Organization?"

"No…just…quit looking for a way to get his heart back."

"And you yelled at him?"

"Yeah…" Xilvin drummed his fingers on the tabletop, "I don't get it. I practically exploded at him but Axel said Nobodies didn't have emotions. And if that's true, then how did I get…angry with Xhostam?"

Leon stayed quiet for a while, thinking. When he finally spoke, the youngest Khaos brother did not look at the Howling Storm, rather keeping his attention out the window and on the glittering peaks of the Hoarfrost Crests.

"It seems to me that the heart is a very delicate thing," Leon said slowly, "It can be broken easily, it can be ripped out—figuratively speaking—and replaced with the most painfully burning balls of flames, or tied in so many knots it becomes painful. It can be cold and stony with no feeling whatsoever or it can create emotions so gentle and caressing it's enough to melt the heart of another." Leon's eyes sparkled in the overhead lights, "I never knew, for the longest time, what it was like to be loved by anyone. But when I ran away from the orphanage and met Tobias…he and his brothers welcomed me with open arms, to use a cliché."

"I just want to get my heart back." To Xilvin's embarrassment, it almost sounded like a whine.

"Then go do it." Leon said, "I don't mean to sound so cliché but if that's what you really want then you should go for it." He smiled, "Most people live only for themselves; I think it's amazing that you're willing to give up your existence to give Tom and Kaz their lives back."

Xilvin looked at him for a moment or two, digesting what exactly had just been said. There was a strange, warm and yet painful sensation that throbbed like a wound in his throat. He swallowed thickly. He'd never thought of it that way before.

"Yeah." He voice sounded strained, even to him, "Besides, what's the point in living if your existence is a lie?"

Leon's expression sort of fell into something that could have been called shock but Xilvin left the Cafeteria before the youngest Khaos brother could say anything.

With the intention of apologizing to Xhostam for his outburst, he headed back to the OverWorld Cafeteria. But when he arrived, the Winged Slayer was no longer there. In fact, the only remaining Organization member was Luxord who was, once again, playing Solitaire with his worn out deck of cards.

"Where is everybody else?"

"Six…seven…the Heartless were massing in huge numbers outside the Wormhole Generator room," The Gambler of Fate replied without looking up from his game. He drew a card from the top of the deck, staring at it with a blank expression, "That room is vital. If we lose it we lose this world."

Xilvin cursed and spun around, black cloak swirling as he ducked into the Passage of Darkness he'd just created. It closed and left Luxord alone in the room. The Gambler of Fate sighed and dropped the card in his gloved fingers onto one of the piles of cards before him.

"The King of Hearts…" He muttered sullenly and then swept his hand across the neatly stacked cards. They flew off the table and scattered across the floor.

* * *

Eheh…I got stuck. Again. Curse you Writer's Block, I hope you burn and die in the fiery pits of the Underworld! Or the UnderWorld, whichever you prefer. (grin)

Well, wherever it burns, I finally managed to get off my lazy rear and squeeze out an ending for this chapter. I was also slightly distracted because I (prepare to be shocked) _actually started working _on 'Shadows Are Supposed to Stay Sleeping' again! (gasp) I know.

But, to the point.

Thank you, dear readers, for waiting for an update and for all the reviews you leave me! Hugs!

I'll see you guys around! Toodles!


	20. The Eye of Obliteration

Dum-dee-dum…

Oh yes! For those of you who like this fan fiction, in all its sw33t l33t glory, go to .com (that's my profile page on dA) and if you browse my gallery you'll find some artwork I've done! Yeah! Art! And if there is any fan art done, I'll be sure to post a link to that as well! (happy dance)

_**Warning: This chapter contains violence and blood.

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**20: The Eye of Obliteration

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"_Yeah, but sometimes savin' yourself's a whole heck of a lot harder than savin' the whole darn world, Morry…" –Ford Cruller from my Psychonauts fan fiction 'Shadows Are Supposed to Stay Sleeping'

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_

There was nothing but a wall of black.

Xilvin's whip was in his hands in a matter of seconds and the Heartless before him were vanishing just a quickly.

"Xhostam!" He shouted, "Demyx! Roxas! Axel! Hey, where are you guys!?"

"Xil!" The Winged Slayer was suddenly beside him, spinning around with a downward slash to destroy a couple of converging Neo Shadows, "Are you okay!?"

"Yeah! I'm sorry!" The pale blue whip lashed out and cracked against several Heartless, making them dissipate in a poof of black, "I didn't mean to yell at you! But we _have_ to get our hearts back! Understand!?"

"Duh!" Xhostam grabbed a nearby Surveillance Robot and tearing it apart with his clawed gauntlets.

Something thudded behind them and the two Nobodies turned around to see an Assault Rider towering over them. It was the same kind of Heartless that had caused Kaz to lose his heart. A hot wave of anger washed through Xilvin and before he knew what he was doing, he'd leapt at the much larger foe.

His weapon flashed out and wrapped around the centaur Heartless' neck. Using his momentum, the Howling Storm made a running jump and vaulted himself over the Assault Rider's head, landing squarely in the middle of its equine back. Then he yanked backwards with all his might, sending the Assault Rider crashing to the floor. Axel's chakrams whizzed out of the crowd of Heartless, leaving a blazing trail of flames behind them, and buried themselves in the centaur-like Heartless.

"Watch this!" Axel leapt out of nowhere, raised his arms in front of him, palms aimed at the Heartless, and shouted a hoarse war cry. Fire burst and swirled to life around the Assault Rider and it evaporated away. Axel's chakrams soared back into his hands as though willed there and he grinned at the two other Nobodies, "Stick around and you might see some other cool stuff."

A surge of lightning erupted from the ceiling into the middle of the throng of Heartless with a crackle of energy. Axel grinned, "Like that." And he vanished back into the mass of black. Xilvin was about to leap after him when a cold, echoing laugh rang in his ears.

"_**Aha…ahahahahaha…pathetic Nobodies…look at them struggle…"**_

Xilvin grabbed Xhostam's hood and yanked him backwards. The Winged Slayer shot Number XIV an indignant look.

"Listen," The Howling Storm hissed, "Do hear them?"

"_**Heeheeheehee! I bet we could get those doors open…I bet we could force them open…and get all those lovely hearts waiting on the inside…like a present…like a **_**feast**_**…ahaaaaaahahahahaha!"**_

Xhostam's eyes got huge, "They're after the people in the Cafeterias! We gotta stop 'em!"

"Xhostam! Wait! Stop!" But it was too late. Number XV was already running down the hall and away from the fight as fast as he could. He stumbled, nearly tripped, caught himself, and carried on. Xilvin had no choice but to follow.

* * *

Roxas spun Oblivion in his gloved fingers while he swung Oathkeeper around his left side. Heartless vanished. But he was still surrounded on all sides. Where Demyx, Axel, Xhostam, and Xilvin (who he'd been informed earlier had also joined the fight) were and nor did he care. He was too focused on not Fading.

"Fire!" Roxas jerked his arms outwards and a brief tornado of flames blasted the converging ring of Heartless away from him.

"Hey, isn't that my move?" Axel dodged a couple of grasping Neo Shadows and put himself back to back with the Key of Destiny.

"Tch," Number XIII didn't answer, he simply jammed Oathkeeper into the ground and swung himself around in a circle while balancing himself on the Keyblade, slashing down foes with Oblivion's jagged edge.

"Show off." Number VIII muttered, lashing out with his chakrams.

"Like you're to talk." Roxas replied, landing gracefully on his feet, "Don't think I didn't see what you did to that Assault Rider Xilvin brought down!"

Axel mocked him, making "nyah-nyah-nyah" noises, and then started as Demyx dropped between the two of him, whirling his sitar into a nervous 360 spin as he struck a cord.

"Hey! Don't fight each other!" The Melodious Nocturne jumped about amongst his water clones, "We've got a swarm of Heartless to deal with! We need all the help we can get!"

"Speaking of," Axel's bright green gaze swept through the Heartless, "Where did Xilvin and Xhostam get to?"

* * *

"_**Little lost Nobodies…all alone…no one to love you…"**_

"_**Heehee…come find us! Come find us! Ahahahahaha!"**_

Xilvin called Lord Nameless and Odium a number of foul names as he raced down the halls alongside Xhostam. It was too late to turn around now, especially with the threats the two Heartless were jeering at them.

"_**Rock-a-bye Nobodies, in the tree top…!" **_Odium was sniggering out a song, twisting a lullaby. The hairs on the back of the Howling Storm's neck stood on end, _**"When the wind blows, the cradle will rock…! When the bough breaks, the Nobodies will fall…! And down will come Nobodies…cradle and aaaaalllll!"**_

The two of them rounded into an empty room that had probably once held file cabinets and all sorts of important documents. That was all ruined now; the cabinets were bent out of shape and smashed into walls, tables lay over turned and broken, and the floor was cracked in several places as though a great weight had slammed into it. And standing in the midst of it all were the giggling Odium and the impassive-faced Lord Nameless.

"You came." Kaz's Heartless gave the barest hint of a smile but it was still cold and calculating enough to give the two Nobodies shivers, "I was hoping to lure the Keyblade Master here but I think if you two are in danger he'll come just as quickly."

"Oh, that was smart!" Xilvin snapped, cracking his whip on the floor, "Tell us what else you're planning! Come on, don't be shy! Share with the rest of the class!"

"Was that a joke?" Odium cracked his fingers in a sickening sort of way, his neon eye lighting up as he caught sight of the disgusted look on Xhostam's face, "'Cause it wasn't very good."

"Enough," Nameless tossed his hand through the air carelessly, "Talking is boring." His crimson eyes narrowed dangerously, "I want to _fight_!"

"Bring it on!" Xhostam shouted and jumped on Odium before anyone could get another word in.

Nameless' expression became one of pure ecstasy as he charged the Howling Storm; he had been _created_ to fight. Xilvin flipped backwards, spun on his heel as he regained his balance, and used the momentum to snap his weapon at Kaz's Heartless. Nameless ducked under the blow and shot his arm out, firing one of the super heated blast of darkness that had burned Xhostam when they'd first met. Number XIV say the attack coming and dodge rolled out of the way, ending in a crouch where he snapped his whip out again. His aim was true but the distance proved his downfall; the tip of the weapon flicked across Nameless' cheek, drawing a thin black line that swelled with bubbling darkness before healing itself, and knocking his glasses askew.

Nameless growled in annoyance as he readjusted his dark, violet tinted spectacles and turned his flaming red orbs on Xilvin, "That," He growled, "Was a stupid thing to do."

Xhostam, meanwhile, was faring far worse. Odium was a mad teen with all the mental disorders ever created by a Psychologist on his side. He dodged Xhostam's wave of sweeping clawed blows and intricate slashes and as the Winged Slayer moved back to prepare another wave of attacks, Tom's Heartless stepped in quick as lightning. He flicked his wrists and silver knives appeared in between his fingers as though summoned there. With yet another deft movement, the knives imbedded themselves in Xhostam's stomach before the Nobody knew what had hit him. All he registered was a sudden flash of pain. And then he screamed.

Xhostam's scream made Xilvin turn his head for a fraction of a second. That amount of time was all that Nameless needed. The cruel Heartless snarled a wordless cry and grabbed the front of the Howling Storm's cloak. Then he ran, Xilvin held out in front of him, and slammed the unfortunate Nobody into the wall. Dust showered them from above. Nameless punched Xilvin in the face but before he could get another blow in, Number XIV swung his boot up and nailed the Heartless right between the legs. Nameless made an odd noise—something like the cross between a muffled scream and a whimper of pain—and stumbled back, crossing his arms over the injured area. Xilvin dropped to the floor and spit up a glob of blood from a cut on the inside of his mouth. Wiping his mouth on the sleeve of his cloak, Xilvin stumbled upright and ran over to the injured Xhostam who was on his knees, blood dripping from between his fingers as he held his hands over his stomach. The Howling Storm glanced at Odium as he knelt beside Xhostam; Tom's Heartless seemed to be too preoccupied with laughing manically and Nameless was still doubled over and moaning.

"Xil…!" Xhostam's voice cracked with pain, "I can't…can't do it! I can't pull the…the knives out! I-it hurts!" Tears formed in his pale blue-violet eyes.

"Shut up before you bite your tongue of." Xilvin reached down and yanked one out one of the glittering blades. Ruby liquid splattered the floor, Xhostam screamed, and Odium laughed even harder. In quick succession, Xilvin pulled out all the knives and tossed them aside.

"I don't know how to heal," Number XIV murmured, "Get out of here! Find Roxas!"

"No!" The Winged Slayer snapped, struggling to his feet, one hand on his still bleeding midriff, "I can…still fight!"

"NOBODY!" Xilvin looked around and shuddered. Nameless was on his feet again, dark energy crackling over his body, his crimson eyes glowing with rage, "NOBODY! YOU _HURT_ ME! I DON'T _LIKE_ GETTING HURT!"

"Ooohoohoohoo!" Odium giggled, hopping from one foot to the other, "You made him _mad_!"

"Odium," Kaz's Heartless growled, never taking his gaze off of Xilvin, "You take out that whiney little "Winged Slayer" and I…I get _him_!" He jabbed a finger at the Howling Storm.

Odium giggled and put a hand over the right half of his face, the portion covered by his silky black hair, "Can I use it? Can I use it, Lord Nameless, can I!?"

I don't care!" Nameless snarled, "Just get rid of him!"

"Aheeheeheehee!" Tom's Heartless wove his fingers into his locks, "You're doomed, stupid Nobody!"

"A-and why's that!?" Xhostam clenched his gauntlet covered fists.

"Because I'm _better_ than you!" Odium pushed his hair behind his ear and the Winged Slayer froze, horror etched across his features. Xilvin, preoccupied with Nameless (the two were circling each other), did not see what was hidden under Odium's hair.

It was an eye.

A wide open, staring eye.

Where the whites should have been was a dark crimson color, the iris was pitch black, and the pupil was pure white.

Xhostam couldn't tear his gaze away. He stared until the only thing he could see was that eye, staring at him unblinkingly.

And he fell…

…_He stumbled forward, catching himself before he kissed pavement. He shook his head and looked around. He was standing on a street in a rather friendly looking neighborhood. Something jogged his memory. _

_He knew this street. _

_This was in Tom's home town! He knew it from the memories!_

_Xhostam reached up to automatically brush his hair out of his face and found that his usually shaggy bangs weren't there. In fact, his hair was considerably shorter. Xhostam turned around to look at his reflection in a nearby window…and saw the astonished face of Thomas Majors staring back._

_That couldn't be right._

_How was he Tom?_

_What was going on?_

"_Tom!" A voice hailed him (was it really him though?) and he turned around to see Kaz on the sidewalk across the street, waving his arm through the air, "Hey, Tom!"_

"_Xil…vin?" It was even Tom's voice that came past his lips. What was happening?_

"_Hey!" Kaz started across the street, grinning his head off._

_A screech at the end of the street made Xhostam look around. _

_Careening around a corner was a speeding car._

_And it was heading right for Tom's best friend._

"_KAZ! LOOK OUT!"_

_Kaz's smile faded as his chocolate eyes flitted away from Xhostam and found the car that was shooting towards him. _

_And he froze._

"_KAZ!"_

_The car slammed into him, tires squealing as it tried to hit its brakes._

_It suddenly seemed like things slowed down, if only to torment Xhostam. _

_Globs of blood splattered across the pavement and gleamed through the air._

_The car spun out and slammed into a light pole. _

_A hand lay stretched out on the pavement, blood pooling slowly beneath it…_

"_This…this…this isn't real!" Xhostam moaned, falling to his knees, digging his fingers into Tom's short black hair, "This can't be happening! How!? AHHHHHGGGG!"_

_Tears and darkness blurred his vision and he felt himself falling again…_

* * *

I actually kept writing this until I realized that I was pushing my usual page limit so I stopped.

Ah, cruel, cruel fate…not to mention bashing characters. What good is a fan fiction if you can't bash your faves? Yes, and here I was saying I would never kill my favorites, only fill them with trauma and teen angst. And now I just proved myself wrong even if it is all—opps, can't say that. That'd be spoilers for the next chapter.

Anyway, I did warn you at the beginning that it was going to get bloody. I'd apologize but I wouldn't mean it; I have quite the violent streak sometimes. Oh yes, and it's only going to get worse from here on out.

Well, thank you so much for waiting for this chapter, and for reading! Please stay tuned for more of The Other side, please keep reviewing, and have a great day! Byes!


	21. In Darkness No One Can Hear Your Screams

I'm sorry for the late update, I really am. And now you're going to hate me because I have to put this fiction on _temporary hiatus_ until further notice. (cringes at the angry glares and the sharp pointy objects aimed in my direction) I'm sorry! But I have a scholarship paper I have to finish and the minimum is 17,000 words (it's a story) so I don't know when I'll be finished! So I'm really, really, sorry! Hopefully, this can keep you guys from killing me until it's finished.

But anyway, I think there's been some confusion. Odium does not have a third eye. His right eye is just…really fricked up…

Ahhhg, I forgot this site doesn't like links. So for the fan art thing try this instead: _hosekidragon . deviantart . com_ but without the spaces.

_**Warning: This chapter contains extreme violence, blood, and trauma.

* * *

  
**_

**21: In Darkness No One Can Hear Your Screams

* * *

  
**

"_I'm in trouble. I'm cornered…and I can't laugh." –Joco from 'Shaman King' by Hiroyuki Takai

* * *

  
_

Out of the corner of his eye, Xilvin saw Xhostam collapse to the floor and Odium pounce on him, the curtain of hair falling over the right side of his face again. He whirled on Tom's Heartless but Nameless knocked him away with a quick kick in the side. Xilvin heard something crack and pain made stars dance in his eyes but he shook it off. Xhostam was in too much trouble.

"What did you do to him!?" The Howling Storm's grip tightened on his weapon.

"He's trapped!" Odium giggled, sitting on Xhostam's back as the Nobody was face down on the floor, "Trapped in his own nightmares! His and Tom's! Ahaaaahahahahaha!" He pulled a knife seemingly out of nowhere and started stabbing it repeatedly all the way down the Winged Slayer's arm.

Something inside of Xilvin popped, almost like a balloon that had been stretched too far.

He swung his arm up and started spinning his whip around and around and around until it became a blur of pale blue. He advanced towards Nameless, growling curses under his breath.

Suddenly, his whip halted.

Nameless had a fist closed around it, anger and hatred emanating from him in such a strong manner that they were almost tangible.

"Is that the best you've got?" Kaz's Heartless sneered, "You're pathetic!" He yanked on the whip, dragging Xilvin forward as the Nobody tried to pull his weapon back, "You're stupid!" Another yank and Xilvin was a foot closer, "And you're annoying!" He was inches from Lord Nameless now, staring through the violet tinted glasses and into those abhorrence filled crimson orbs, "And I'll make you suffer!"

Xilvin let go of the whip and aimed a punch at Nameless but the Heartless flicked his hand up and knocked the blow aside. There was a series of sickening snapping noises and Xilvin cried out as his broken arm swung down to his side, useless.

"Idiot! Fool!" Nameless stalked forward as Odium giggled with amusement, twisting a knife through the palm of his hand even as he jumped up and down on one of Xhostam's legs, no doubt breaking it, "Like you could beat us! Like you could beat _me_!"

_Mercy…!_ A voice in Xilvin's head said to him desperately as he groaned and stumbled backwards, away from his advancing enemy, _Beg for mercy! They're kids! They're kids like you! Just beg! Mercy! Mercy!_

"Mercy…" The word slipped out before he could stop it, barely a whisper on his breath. He turned his hazel eyes on Lord Nameless, pleading without saying a thing. But the Heartless was just that; heartless.

"I am _so _tired of looking at your useless face!" Lord Nameless stretched a hand out and Xilvin felt something close around him, almost like the air pressure around his body had increased, "I wanna SMASH IT!"

Xilvin yelped in surprise as he was lifted into the air and thrown against the ceiling only to be slammed back down against the floor. He could barely hear Odium laughing past the rush of air whistling in his ears as he hit first the ceiling and then the floor over and over and over again. When it finally stopped, his head was spinning and he was too dazed to focus. The whole room looked blurred and tilted. But he could still make out Nameless.

"That…is that the best…_you_ got!?" He croaked and Kaz's Heartless howled with rage.

Xilvin saw the wall coming at him and then tasted blood. A film of red glazed over his vision.

"I _hate_ you!" He heard Nameless shouting, "I hate you, I hate you, I hate you, I hate you! Even when it's submerged into darkness you make Kaz's heart ache! I HATE YOU!"

The Howling Storm screamed in agony as he was bent backwards, still in the air. His spine creaked and popped in protest; it was not meant to be bent that way. Xilvin felt like he was going to be ripped in half but all he could do was scream and cry, a prisoner of Lord Nameless' telekinetic powers.

The edges of his vision started going dark.

_This is it…_ He thought vaguely, even as he shrieked and twisted in Nameless' grip, _This is the end…I'm going to…Fade…_

* * *

Demyx waited impatiently at a corner, anxious for his water clones to return. Soon after Axel had made the comment that he couldn't find Xilvin or Xhostam in the area, the Heartless had dropped in great numbers and the Nobodies had had little trouble eradicating the remaining ones. But when they'd returned to the Cafeteria, the discovered that, no, neither Number XIV nor Number XV had returned. And after the initial encounter with their Heartless, the Organization members were wary to let them out on their own.

So now Demyx was waiting at a corner with Roxas and Axel for the return of his water clones and maybe some news about where Xilvin and Xhostam had run off to. They were only about Roxas' age, after all, and everyone kept a close eye on Number XIII. Of course, it helped that he was the Keyblade Master.

"Ah, they're coming back!" A couple of Demyx's clones glided around the corner and collapsed in on themselves, forming a swirling ball of water the size of a basketball. The Melodious Nocturne held it in his hands and it seeped into his gloves, leaving no wetness behind. He closed his eyes as the images flooded into his head. Then he jumped and snapped around to look at the other two.

"The Heartless!" He gasped, "Xilvin and Xhostam are fighting their Heartless!"

Axel swore loudly, "Lead the way, Water Boy!"

"Don't call me that!" Demyx growled but took off running anyway. Roxas hadn't said a word.

The trio halted outside the room that Demyx indicated but when the Melodious Nocturne twisted the door knob, it burnt his hand through is glove and he jumped back with a yelp of pain.

"Move." Roxas commanded and pointed Oblivion at the door. A beam of light shone from the Keyblade's tip to the keyhole on the doorknob. There was a click and the door swung open.

"TAKE THAT!" Shouted a gleeful voice and Xilvin's limp body came flying out of the room to slam into Roxas. The two Stumbled into a wall and the Key of Destiny became tangled in the Howling Storm's cloak and limbs.

"Heartless!" Demyx squeaked, "Dance, water, dance!" An army of water clones rose out of the floor and threw themselves at the Heartless who looked like Kaz that was blocking their way.

"Axel!" Roxas was on his feet again, "Protect Xilvin, he's been hurt bad! I'm going to try and get Xhostam out of there!" And he jumped into the fray.

"Hey! No fair!" Axel shouted as his friend vanished into the hoard of water clones, "I want to fight too!" He shot a green-eyed glance at Xilvin and cringed, "Yikes, never mind. I think I'd rather have all my limbs still intact, thank you."

"Axel! Catch!" Demyx's voice shouted and Xhostam flew into the Flurry of the Dancing Flames outstretched arms. Blood immediately soaked into the black fabric of Axel's cloak.

A string of curse words rolled past Number VIII lips as he saw the damage done. Flames licked the edges of his boots as he turned glaring green eyes upon the open door through which he could discern little because of Demyx's swirling water clones.

Inside the room, Roxas was trying to fend off Odium who was laughing manically at every move the Key of Destiny made. Tom's Heartless held two shimmering cleavers clenched in his hands and was battering at Oathkeeper and Oblivion with all his might. The clangs resounding from the clashing blades made Roxas' ears ring as he skipped backwards, parrying Odium's blows but unable to land one himself.

"Puny Nobody!" Odium squealed with delight as one of the cleavers skittered down Oathkeeper's length, bounced off the guard, and sliced through Roxas' glove to leave a streak of red on the skin beneath. Roxas hissed in pain and flipped backwards, the heel of his boot catching Odium in the chin and sending the Heartless stumbling backwards.

"Stay back!" The Key of Destiny pointed both of his Keyblades towards the ceiling and energy crackled around their tips. Odium sneered, flicking his tongue out to catch the tiny droplets of darkness that had managed to seep out of the cut on his lip before it healed over. Then he advanced once more. Roxas held the energy within for a few more moments and then unleashed it.

"Thunder!" Lightning crackled above both of them and then slammed full force upon Tom's Heartless. Odium screamed—half in pain, half in delight. Roxas felt his stomach churn at the sick thought; Odium was _enjoying_ the pain.

"Aha…ahahahahahahahahahaha!" Tom's Heartless was on his knees on the floor but still somehow able to laugh despite the condition he was in. His skin was burnt, peeling from his face even as the dark energy sustaining him healed it, "It's going to take more than that to stop us!"

"Time to go!" Demyx shouted, suddenly appearing at Roxas' side, "Axel's got Xilvin and Xhostam! Let's get out of here!" He grabbed the back of Number XIII's cloak and dragged him away from the laughing Odium.

"Where's the other Heartless!?"

"I dunno! But we can't fight them, Roxas! We just can't! Not like this!" Demyx was in a panic. He had never been a fighter, not a good one anyway, and the power and hatred coming from the Heartless was too much. Roxas realized how futile it would be to fight them when they were too worn out from the fight earlier.

The two Nobodies jumped out of the door and Demyx hoisted Xilvin up. With a nod from Axel, who was carrying Xhostam, Roxas opened a Passage of Darkness and they ducked inside.

It vanished just as Nameless stuck his head out the room. His violet tinted glasses were cracked, his red eyes were glowing with abhorrence, and there were several tears in his black outfit. Odium leaned over his shoulder, giggling, and squeezed his arms around Lord Nameless' waist.

"Cut it out." Namless growled and Odium sniggered but let go, opting instead to curling loop one arm over his fellow Heartless' neck just enough so that his chin was perched on Nameless' shoulder. Odium flicked a small knife from nowhere and started sawing through his own wrist.

"They got away." Namless snarled in a low voice, fists clenching, "We almost had them and they got away!"

"Yeah…so what?" Odium pulled his knife away, raising it up to show Nameless it's blacked blade, and grinned, "They're scared of us. That's what counts, right?"

Nameless sneered, "Indeed…"

* * *

Well, this is going to be it for a while. I feel like I'm abandoning this fan fiction and I hope you guys don't think that 'cause that's not what's happening. I'm just…life is getting in the way. (sighs) Blech, this makes me depressed…

Thank you guys for hanging on and not trying to kill me (nervous grin) and for all the wonderfully wonderful reviews you leave me because they're all awesomely super sensationalistic! In my head, I'm giving you all cookies and milk! Yeah!

Please wait for the next chapter! Thank you sooooo much! You guys are so awesome! I'll see you later, when I finish the chapter!

Thanks for reading, please review, and have the greatest day ever!


	22. Night Terrors I Can't Escape

Hey guys, I'm back again and—

DOOM! (falls over)

Oh crap! The "DOOM" is back too! Run! Run for your life! It's back! It's back! (starts running around like crazy)

Kaz: What the—

DOOM! (Kaz goes flying)

Me: (watches him disappear over the horizon) Whoa…I didn't know Kaz could do that!

* * *

**22: Night Terrors I Can't Escape

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**

"_The war wasn't over. The story didn't end there. Not for Bobby. Not for Saint Dane. And not for us. Did you seriously think it would be any other way? Like I said, we're not done yet." –D.J. MacHale in the 'Pendragon 9: Raven Rise'_ _preface _

* * *

"_This isn't real…" His words had no conviction, he was shaking, crying, hugging himself, "None of it is…it's not real…" If he said it enough, it would all stop and go away, "It's not real…"_

_He didn't know who he was anymore. A combination of a fifteen year old boy named Tom Majors and the newly spawned Nobody Number XV, Xhostam, the Winged Slayer smashed together by the nightmares he was locked in._

_He huddled on the sidewalk, sobbing, rocking back and forth with his arms wrapped around his chest like he'd fall apart if he didn't. He'd been through horror after horror after horribly nightmare and he just couldn't escape. _

_He'd watched Kaz die countless times…_

_He'd seen Xilvin Fade on innumerable occasions…_

_He'd been unable to stop the Heartless from destroying the world so many times…_

_He'd gazed on helplessly as Perim collapsed into war…_

_And he couldn't get out._

_He was going mad in here. In this…this personal Hell. _

_The person who was not quite Tom and not quite Xhostam tilted their head to the sky and screamed in pain and sorrow, their face flushed from the heat of the fire that was burning down his quite little hometown. There would be nothing left. There would be no one left._

"_Let me out!" He screamed, curling into a ball on the concrete, "Let me out! Somebody! Anybody! Help me!" _

_But no one answered._

_And then he was falling again. Falling into another nightmare._

"_HEEELLLPP MEEEEEEEEEEE!"_

* * *

Tobias strolled into the Organization's room unannounced and stopped dead in his tracks. The iron smell of blood filled his nose as he gazed at the motionless figures of Xilvin and Xhostam, both stripped to their boxers on the white table tops.

"What happened?" He demanded in a chilling voice, glaring daggers at the members of Organization XIII, "What happened to those two?"

"They fought their Heartless and lost." Luxord replied in monotone, shuffling his worn deck of cards, "Brutally so. We only just managed to get them back here in time."

He didn't say the words but they were implied, hanging in the air like a dark fog. _They could have Faded…_

"They're okay now, though." Axel said from his perch on the top of another table nearby, "Roxas saw to that." He tilted his red-spiked head, indicating the sleeping Number XIII who was buried in a sleeping bag and breathing evenly, "Poor guy's exhausted."

Tobias made a noise half-way between a groan and a sigh. He ran his fingers through is hair, chewing on the inside of his lip as he thought about what he was going to do, "They fought their Heartless, correct?" Demyx nodded, "And lost." Another nod, "Then they aren't strong enough. They need help. In Perim, it's survival of the fittest, every Creature for themselves; anyone who can get their hands on the best battlegear and mugics is guaranteed to come out on top." His eyes narrowed behind his glasses, "If there was less of that, the Tribes of Perim could become united and sort through more important problems. You're an _Organization_! So get organized and help those two fight off their Heartless! Bring Thomas and Kazdan back! Close that stupid hole you ripped open! _That's_ the whole reason you're here! So _do_ something instead of standing around and feeling sorry for yourselves!" Tobias had ended his speech in a shout and was now standing with his fists clenched, glaring at the Nobodies, breathing heavily, "I'll leave you to sort yourselves out." He breathed, turned on his heel, and left the room, slamming the door behind him.

Demyx winced at the loud noise and cast a glance at Luxord but the Gambler of Fate was looking elsewhere. The Melodious Nocturne sagged in his seat, looked around the room one final time to make sure no one wanted him for something, and then produced his sitar with a flourish. He strummed a couple of tuning cords and then settled back and started to play.

* * *

_It was definitely the worst nightmare by far._

_Even the ones of death and destruction weren't this bad._

_Here there was nothing._

_He was locked in darkness, unable to see, unable to speak, unable to move. He was nothing in an expanse of nothing with only an awareness. _

_And it tormented him._

"_Better to be Nothing than to be a Nobody." Axel had said but if this was Nothing than an existence, even if it was a false one, was far better than this! _

_He was going crazy._

_He'd never get out._

_He'd rather Fade…_

* * *

"_I was so happy when you smiled; your smile breaks through the clouds of gray, far from the sunny days that liiiiiieeee in sleep. Waiting with patience for the spring, when the flowers would bloom renewed again. Knowing there's more beyond the paaaiiiinnn of today."_ Demyx had his legs crossed, singing softly as he strummed away at his instrument, _"And though the scars of yesterday remaaaaaiiiin, you can go on living as much as your heart beeeliiieeeevvveess. You can't be born again although you can change. Let's stay together allllwaaaaaayyyss." _

The Melodious Nocturne's song ended and he slumped dejectedly in his seat, unable to think of another song he could play. Axel and Luxord had left to see if they couldn't patch up the hole between the worlds, leaving Demyx with the unconscious forms of Xilvin and Xhostam and the sleeping Roxas. It was too quiet.

It reminded Number IX of the night he and the other Organization members had broken through. He'd sat in the—what did they call it?—OverWorld themed Cafeteria, surrounded by peaceful darkness and sleeping bodies, and had played a lullaby. In the middle of it, someone had started crying so he'd stopped to see if he could figure out who it was but the noise never came again so he'd picked up his song again.

Maybe that's what he needed right now; a soothing lullaby.

Demyx struck up a slow tune, the notes floating out from beneath his fingers as he closed his eyes, leaned back in his chair, and sang softly,

"_When the moon peaks through the apple trees, and the stars hide in the leaves, and the miiiisssst roolllls down the valley on kitten feet. When the sun has slowly slipped away from the laaavendeeeerrrrr skkyyyyyyyyy. Then the mountains fill the night with a sweeeeet lullabyyyyyyy."_

Deep in his own music, the Melodious Nocturne didn't notice Roxas stirring into wakefulness and looking around. Those neon blue eyes swiveled around automatically and locked on Xhostam.

"_When the air is full of lilac blooms, like the water in a stream. When the blaaaackbiiirrrds on the branches begin to dream. When the angels pour the milky way from the heeeaavvveeeeenss on hiiiiiigggghhhh. Then mountains fill the night with a sweeeeet lullabyyyyyy."_

Roxas stood up and, ignoring his fellow Nobody's song, walked over to the Winged Slayer. He reached and let a hand hover over Number XV's forehead. Xhostam's breathing hitched and his face became screwed up with something like pain.

"_Moooooooonlight. Staaaaaarrrlight. Soft as snoooooowwww. Iiiiinnnn aaaaa meeeedooowww firrreeeeflliiiieeesss gloooooww."_

Beside him Xilvin rolled over on the table, throwing an arm over his face. So the Howling Storm had never been unconscious, just sleeping off the after effects of the massive healing job he'd undergone.

"_When the morning is a mile away, over the hill and 'cross the creek. When the owwwwwllls and whhhhiiiiperwhils playin' hide-n-seek. When you're cozy and beneath your quilllltttsss. And you're cloooosseeen your eeeeyyyyeeesss. When your dreams are taking flight! 'Till the early morning light! Then the mountains fiiiilll the night with a sweeet lullabbyyyyyyy! Then mountains fill the night with a sweet lullaby…"_

Before Demyx could finish striking the last strain on his sitar, Roxas turned to him and said, "Don't stop singing! Do what you were doing before! A lullaby! Come on, I think it's waking Xhostam up!"

"Uh…um…I…" Demyx swallowed and nodded, closing his eyes again and settling into the cool spot in his mind where his music flowed, _"Baaaby mine, don't you crrryyyy. Baaaabbbyyyy miiinnee, dry your eeeeyyeeess. Reeesssst yooouurrr head close to my heart, never to part, baby you're miiinnnneee."_

* * *

_He couldn't take it anymore. _

_It's over._

_He couldn't fight any longer._

_It's just too much._

_The pain, the suffering, the trauma, the tears, the death. _

_Surrounded by it…_

_He didn't even know how long he'd been in here._

_He just wanted to Fade._

_For the sake of his sanity, just let him Fade._

"_Tom, what're you doing!?"_

_Fading. Leave me alone…just let me Fade…_

"_Are you nuts, dude!?"_

_No…no…make them stop…all the pain…_

"_You two are _best friends_ and you owe it to him to apologize!"_

_What? What is this? This isn't…this isn't…like before…_

…"_Q-quit!? What do mean by quit!? You can't quit!" _

_He looks up and sees the disgruntled expression of thirteen Kaz staring at him from across the table._

"_And anyway," Kaz continues, pushing his glasses up his nose, "How can you quit life!? I mean, besides…the…obvious way?" Kaz eyes him through his pink-tinted lenses, "You're not…gonna do something stupid are you, Tom?"…_

_The memories were sharp and clear. He could hear and see everything perfectly. _

…"_OverWorlders." He mutters sullenly, narrowing his eyes at his best friend._

"_UnderWorlders." Kaz replies, crossing his arms with a huff._

"_Maxxor."_

"_Chaor."_

"_Maxxor."_

"_Chaor."_

"_Maxxor rules."_

"_Chaor rules more."…_

_He can _feel_ everything! Every single dash of emotion belonging to his Other is flooding into his mind. He grasped at them and pulled, yanking himself out of the darkness._

…"_Hey Tom, we got some burgers for you too!" Sarah says, waving him over to their usual table, "I made sure Peyton didn't eat them!"_

"_Hey!" Peyton's face turns pink but he's laughing with the rest of them._

"_This must be what they mean be 'simple pleasures', huh?" Kaz says with a sigh, leaning back in his chair and taking a long drink from his milkshake._

"_Yeah," Peyton agrees with a nod, "Hanging out with friends, munchin' on French Fries…"_

"_Come off it, Peyton!" He laughs, "You're happy _anytime_ you're eating!"_

"_I was trying to say something really cool! Way to go, Fun-sucker!" Peyton retorts with a grin._

"_Yeah…" Kaz suddenly looks like he's in a far away place, "I hope we can always be together like this."_

"_Don't be a baby, Kaz, you know that can't happen!" Sarah says and the others glare at her, "What? Be logical! Things change! We're going to grow up someday! Of _course_ we're not going to be together everyday like this!"_

"_Geez, Sarah," He says, "Way to kill the mood. When'd you turn into such a cynic?"_

"_Wha—hey, I—Tom!" Sarah sputters and they all fall about laughing…_

_My _gosh_, what have I been think!? _

_Fade!?_

_No way!_

_Wake up! _

_Wake me up!_

_Get._

_Your._

_Lazy. _

_Rear. _

_In._

_Motion._

_WAKE UP!!_

* * *

Xhostam gasped as his eyes snapped open and the world spun into a blur of colors. When it settled, he found Roxas standing over his with a satisfied glint in his neon blue eyes.

"Hey," The Key of Destiny muttered, "Glad you're up."

* * *

Smoly hokes, this chapter took longer than I thought! Talk about Writer's Block induced filler! Not to mention I had to rewrite this one or there would have been, like, fifty chapters of filler after that.

But anyway, I stole that whole scene in Xhostam's (Tom's?) memories from a scene in the Kingdom Hearts 2 manga. Aheh...I'm so bad. But I couldn't think of a scene that would motivate Xhostam enough to wake up from his nightmares. The memories were induced by Demyx's soothing lullabies.

So, thank you people so much for waiting for me to write this! It means a lot! I'll see you guys in the next chapter! Thanks for reading, please leave a review, and--

DOOM!

Ahhhhhhg! (goes flying over the horizon)


	23. Goodnight Nobody

Okay, I'm sensing filler here but I don't know if that's what it's going to be so just kinda'…bear with me. Yeah, yeah, I know, the last chapter wasn't that good and I'm sorry. I'm struggling, ever so slowly, towards an ending. The climax and all that, you know?

Anyways, as our dear friend Peyton always says: "Expect the unexpected!"

* * *

**23: Goodnight Nobody

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**

_Vlad Masters: "If any good has come of this it's that ten years without ghost powers has taught me what a fool I've been."_

_Danny Phantom: "Maybe that's all anybody needs; a second chance." –from Danny Phantom: The Ultimate Enemy

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_

"Tobias." Said a husky voice and the eldest Khaos brother turned in his seat to find himself looking up at Xilvin and Xhostam, both dressed once more in their black Organization cloaks.

Tobias smiled, stood, and hugged them both. Xilvin's eyes widened with confusion and surprise and Xhostam turned pink without even knowing why. Then Tobias released them, one of his hands on each of their shoulders,

"You two have a lot of heart. And I'm not saying that to be mean." He added quickly when the Howling Storm's hazel eyes flashed briefly, "Even after all of that, you're willing to get up again and start over. It takes a great amount of courage and strength to do that."

"But we lost." Xhostam said in something reminiscent of a whine.

"To quote Confucius: 'Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.'" Tobias stated and sat down again, motioning for the other two to do so. The noise from the Mipedian Cafeteria obscured their conversation from curious ears, "So, do you and the Organization have a plan?"

"Not really, no." Xilvin responded, "We just woke up and they're not really sure they want to dive back into a battle with our Heartless so quickly." He shuddered, "They…scare me. I can say that with all honesty."

Xhostam's face was bleached of color and he was staring blankly at the table, "I don't know what I would have done if Demyx hadn't woken me up." He closed his pale, violet-blue eyes, "I was so close to giving up…so close to Fading…"

"Enough of that sort of talk." Tobias slapped a hand on the table top, "What are you going to do?"

"Huh?"

"What do you mean?"

"What are you going to do?" Tobias repeated, "You lost to your Heartless but you need to defeat them in order to regain your hearts. You're not strong enough to do that so I'm asking you: what are you going to do about it?"

Xilvin's face was his usual mask of indifference and Xhostam was looking blankly at his own gloved hands. Normally, any teenager's answer to getting stronger would be training. But they didn't have time to train. There had to be another way. Creatures in Perim got stronger all the time but no one ever saw them doing it. The Creatures were secretive and full of pride; everything they discovered was their secret and they did their best to keep it to themselves. If another Creature found out, they would make every attempt to steal it. But the two Nobodies didn't have the resources that Creatures had; Mugics, Battlegear, and inventors like Ulmar.

All they had was each other.

"How about fighting together?" Tobias said as though he'd read their minds, "Instead of just you two? You are an Organization of thirteen members, are you not? Then fight as thirteen, not as two."

"He has a point." All three of them jumped and looked around at Axel who was leaning against the wall, "Trouble with that theory is there aren't thirteen members anymore. There are only…" He held up some fingers and started counting under his breath, "Eight of us, plus those two which makes ten."

"Where are the rest of you?" Tobias asked curiously, eyes narrowing behind his glasses.

"There was a little rebellion that had to be squashed and—." Axel stopped himself, grinning, "Oooo-hoo-hooo. You almost got me." He shook a finger at the oldest Khaos brother, "Nah-uh. No secrets outta me. Besides, The Superior's too pissed to come here himself so that leaves nine."

"Nine's more than enough to take those maggots down." Xilvin said but his voice was so flat it was almost as though he didn't care. Still, when the other three glanced at him there was a fierce light burning in his hazel eyes that made the violet checkmarks beneath them look all the more darker.

"Is there anyway you can get a message to the other members?" Xhostam asked, "Where are they anyway?"

"Doesn't matter where they are," Axel beckoned and the three followed. When they entered the empty Danian Cafeteria, he held his hand out and a white-suited Dusk spun into existence, "We'll find them." He crouched down and, after digging around in his pockets for a moment or two, carefully placed a folded piece of paper in the Ducks' open mouth. The mouth snapped shut and the zipper like teeth closed, sealing the paper inside, "The World That Never Was. The Superior. Make it fast." Axel muttered and stood. The Dusk bent over itself and vanished.

"You guys already planned that out!" Xhostam pointed an accusing finger at the Flurry of the Dancing Flames who shrugged nonchalantly, "You already knew what you wanted to do! Why'd you lead us on like that!?"

"Aw, get over it." Axel scoffed, crossing his arms, "You and I both know that you're not really pissed at me." He cocked a bright red eyebrow, "In fact, you're relieved that we're all finally agreeing on something, aren't you?"

Xhostam cast a sideways glance at Xilvin but the Howling Storm was looking elsewhere. With a huff, Number XV let his arm swing down to his side and scowled at Number VIII, "Yeah, whatever."

"So now what do we do?" Xilvin asked.

"We wait." Came the reply and Tobias shook his head, turning his eyes towards the ceiling.

"You are a cliché lot, aren't you?" The oldest Khaos brother muttered to himself.

* * *

But waiting had become a bane.

For two days, Xilvin and Xhostam remained locked in the Cafeteria with the Khaos siblings, staff, and visiting teenagers. The thing about teenagers was that when you kept them in one place too long, they tended to get a little cranky. Shouting matches were not unheard of.

The Howling Storm and the Winged Slayer were not allowed to leave; whether to go Heartless hunting or check the status of the hole. Sometimes Axel stayed behind but more often than not he was out with Roxas and the others.

But, finally, after three days, something happened.

Xilvin and Xhostam were sitting in the Mipedian Cafeteria, feeling very dull and bored as they watched Nick and Soyokaze get into a spat, when there was the familiar sound of a Passage of Darkness popping into existence. Everyone had gotten use to the sound by now so no one paid it any mind until a mocking voice sneered,

"So, those are the newbies, huh? Kind of scrawny looking weaklings, aren't they?"

The two Nobodies were on their feet and spinning to face whoever it was, ready to fight. But then they froze. Standing before them were three figures in the black Organization cloaks, all with their hoods pushed back and watching the two with interest.

"Numbers XIV and XV," A man with silver-blue hair spoke and his voice sent a tremor down Xhostam's spine, "Where are Luxord and the others?"

"Heartless hunting." Xilvin replied flatly, "And you seem to know us but we don't know you. So tell us." The man's icey, yellow eyes narrowed and the Howling Storm tilted his chin up.

"Easy, Saix," Rumbled a deep voiced Nobody. His hair was in long dreadlocks and there were huge sideburns on his jaw. His wide shoulders and constant frown made for a very intimidating appearance.

"Number II, Xigbar, the Freeshooter!" The mocking voice came again and the two Nobodies looked around at the third man. His hair was dark brown, almost black, and streaked with silver, a jagged scar traced itself from the left corner of him mouth and down his chin, and his right eye was covered in an eye patch, the left was a teasing goldenrod yellow, "And this is Number III, Xaldin, the Whirlwind Lancer!" He indicated the man with the huge sideburns, "And Number VII, Saix, the Luna Diviner."

"Let's get out of here." Xilvin muttered, catching the stares of the humans, "Follow me." He led Xhostam, Saix, Xigbar, and Xaldin out of the Mipedian Cafeteria and into the UnderWorld one. The Howling Storm fell into a seat and ran a hand through his spiky hair with a blank expression.

"Heeeyyyyy! It's the higher up's!" Axel laughed, suddenly sweeping out of a Passage of Darkness followed by a panicked looking Demyx, an indifferent Luxord, and a battle worn Roxas, "Took you long enough to get here, didn't it!?"

"The Superior was reluctant to respond to your message at all." Saix growled, the ends of his hair seeming to stand on end, "It is not _our_ problem that you failed."

"_We_ failed!?" Roxas snapped, brandishing Oblivion, neon blue eyes glaring, "I _told_ you that you were using too much power, that it was too dangerous, but you didn't listen! _They_," He pointed the Keyblade at Xilvin and Xhostam, who flinched as the weapon swung in their direction, "Are _everyone's_ problem! _That's_ why we're here!"

Xigbar chuckled darkly, "Mmm-hhmmm…you made Roxas angry. That's a feat."

"_Enough_." Saix growled, hair standing on end even more, "Stop your bickering. We're here, your request was satisfied." He turned to Axel, "Now, explain the situation in detail."

It took all of half and hour to explain everything to the three Nobodies. Xigbar seemed to think the whole affair was going to be a lot of fun because his obnoxious, cocky sneer stayed on his face the whole time. Xhostam decided he didn't like the Freeshooter.

"This…hole." Xaldin spoke in his rumbling tones, "It needs to be closed before we can unite the Heartless and Nobodies. Odium and Lord Nameless need their supply of reinforcements cut off. This will also carve out a rather hefty chunk of their powers."

"Don't you think we've been trying that?" Demyx muttered, "But every time we try those stupid Heartless swarm us and we can't."

"But now we can outnumber _them_!' Xigbar was already on his feet, strange, spiked guns hefted over his shoulders.

Xilvin raised an eyebrow at him, "I don't think 'outnumbering' was the word you were looking for."

"I said ENOUGH!" Saix's eyes glowed and his hair stood completely on end. White energy pulsated around his form, outlining him in cold light, "The Superior wants this matter dealt with as swiftly as possible! And that means YOU DO NOT BICKER OVER PETTY MATTERS AND WASTE OUR TIME!" A bit of dust trickled from the ceiling as Saix's booming words faded and he glared at the other Organization members. Then he spoke in a softer voice, his eyes fading back to their normal yellow, and his hair falling back to either side of his face, "We move now."

Xilvin and Xhostam stood up with the rest of the remaining Organization XIII members but strong hands on their shoulders pressed them back into their seats.

"No." Xaldin stated, "You two are staying here." He turned and grabbed the back of Axel's cloak, dragging him away from the Passage of Darkness Saix had generated, "And you are staying here with them."

"Wha—but, hey!" Axel protested, jerking himself out of the Whirlwind Lancer's grip, "Why me!? Demyx doesn't even fight!" He pointed an accusing finger at the Melodious Nocturne but Demyx blushed and ducked into the Passage of Darkness.

"The Superior wants someone guarding them." Xaldin replied shortly, eyes narrowing dangerously, "He wants to know if a Nobody and a Heartless really _can_ become one again." And he disappeared into the Passage of Darkness after his fellows.

"You mean…there's no guarantee?" Xhostam whimpered, "There was never a…a concrete…solid bit of…of proof we could become whole again?"

"That's right." Axel snorted, crossing his arms over his chest, "A certain couple of people who aren't with us anymore used to think that Nobodies are simply doomed to Fade back into the darkness." His vibrant green eyes glinted and he unconsciously rubbed one of the triangular marks on his cheeks with a thumb, "Eventually, those thoughts drove them into a rebellion."

"Tell us what happened, Axel." Xilvin's voice was flat and his face was the usual mask of indifference but the light in his hazel eyes told otherwise. Axel sighed heavily and sat down.

"Don't repeat anything you hear." The Flurry of the Dancing Flames growled, "Or I'll hunt you down and burn you into a world of hurt." When both Nobodies nodded fervent agreements, he settled back in his chair and tilted his face towards the ceiling, "Almost a year ago, there was a boy who lost his heart. This boy was Sora, the Keyblade Master. When he turned into a Heartless, he left a Nobody behind. Roxas. But something weird happened. Sora pulled himself back out of the darkness and became human again…without his Nobody."

"Roxas has no idea." Xhostam tossed his head, trying to get his hair out of his face, "He always said he thought you guys were hiding something from him."

"He can't know." Axel was looking at the floor now, "The hearts that the Keyblade releases from darkness go to Kingdom Hearts, the Heart of All Worlds. The Superior believes if we can gather enough hearts, we'll be able to find our own. Eventually."

"Where's Sora?" Xilvin put his chin in his hands, "And what's this have to do with your little rebellion?"

"Sora found them first." Axel continued, turning his back on the Howling Storm and the Winged Slayer, "He was lured into Castle Oblivion by Marluxia and his gang; they were the ones planning on overthrowing the Organization but they needed Sora's power to do it. So they tricked him."

"How?" Xhostam was totally into the story, leaning forward on the table and everything.

"There is a Nobody who isn't part of the Organization named Naminé. Naminé, got it memorized?" Axel tapped a finger to his temple as a reflex, "Naminé had power over Sora's memories and Marluxia forced her to rearrange Sora's memories in away that was…favorable to him." The Flurry of the Dancing Flames, sank over in his chair, putting his forehead into the palms of his gloved hands, "I pretended to be on their side but was really helping the Superior eradicate them. Anyway, Sora got rid of Marluxia alright but his memories were all messed up. A train wreck. Naminé locked him in a deep slumber in order to fix what she'd broken."

There was a deep, heavy silence and then Xhostam said in a soft and tentative voice, "You don't want Sora to wake up." Axel jerked and spun around and Xilvin's eyes widened as he stared at Number XV, "W-well I…" Xhostam swallowed, "Roxas is Sora's Nobody, right? S-so if Sora wakes up and f-finds Roxas then him and Roxas are gonna m-merge or whatever." The Winged Slayer lowered his head and his pale, blue-purple eyes flashed from beneath his shaggy locks, "I…I mean…he's…your friend…right?"

Axel stared at Xhostam, a mixture of emotions contorting his face into such a heart-wrenching expression that Xilvin wondered for a moment if Axel even believed his own words. Then the look vanished and those cold green eyes were staring the two of them down.

"Doesn't matter what I want." He grumbled, "Just don't…repeat what you heard." Number VIII stood up and waved his hand, summoning a Passage of Darkness.

"Where are you going?" Xilvin got to his feet as well, blinking at him.

"Heartless Hunting," The Flurry of the Dancing Flames grinned, "Care to join me?"

* * *

Bad Axel, bad! You're breaking the rules! Then again, since when has Axel been one to follow rules?

Anyway, sorry it's taking me so long to update but I have been kind of busy and at a loss of how to push this towards the end. Eh, this story has taken a mind of its own. I never intended to have the rest of the Organization show up. Ah well, it was the only way, I suppose (shrugs).

So thanks for sticking around, guys! Please keep reviewing; it's inspirational! I'll see you in the next update! Toodles!


	24. This Is The Stuff Legends Are Made Of

I know I already apologized for not updating quickly but this time it was because I've been so freaking busy! Sometimes I hate being a Senior and I'm starting to wonder what it'll be like when I go to college. I'm also worrying for my wanna-be novel which is sitting in my room, gathering dust, and making me feel guilty whenever I so much as breath in its general direction.

All whining aside, I had really hoped to be posting two chapters for you wonderful, wonderful peoples but, as you can see, that was not possible. I hope you can make do with this. Thanks for sticking around and I hope to see you in the end! Enjoy!

* * *

**24: This Is the Stuff Legends Are Made Of

* * *

  
**

"_A hero is someone who understands the responsibility that comes with his freedom." –Bob Dylan

* * *

  
_

Xilvin and Xhostam, against their better judgment, followed Axel through the Passage of Darkness into the anteroom outside the Wormhole Generator. The sounds of battle could be heard from beyond the heavy door on the other side.

"Should we help them? I don't think the hole's getting closed." Xilvin flicked his stringy bangs from his hazel eyes.

"But Saix will _kill_ us if he sees us outside the Cafeteria!" Xhostam said in something similar to a whine, "And b-besides what if _they_ show up!?" He shivered at the thought of his and Xilvin's Heartless' and hunched his shoulders like he was warding off a cold wind.

"It doesn't matter." Xilvin stated before Axel could reply, "We're part of the Organization. It's our duty to help them fix this."

"But it's part of our _existence_ to stay around long enough to get our hearts back!" Xhostam shouted, sounding distraught. He grabbed the front of the Howling Storm's cloak and shook him, pale eyes swimming with held-back tears, "You were the one who yelled at me for giving up! And now you're saying we should just throw our lives away!"

"They're our only chance!" Xilvin retorted hotly, smacking the Winged Slayer's hands away, "If we don't do something we're no better than those human's rotting away in the Cafeteria!"

Xhostam's tears spilled over, his fists clenched, and he punched Xilvin in the face. Xilvin stumbled backwards and slipped, crashing to the floor, "Stupid!" Xhostam cried, "You're so stupid! You're a selfish…a selfish…" He searched around for a word, "A selfish DORK! Can you at least _pretend_ to care!?"

"Hey, hey, hey! That's enough already!" Axel stepped between the two, putting a hand on Xhostam's chest. He glared at the two of them; Xilvin had pushed himself to his feet and was rubbing his sore cheek with a blank, mask of an expression, "You don't fight each other! You fight Heartless! Got it memorized!? Heartless!" Xhostam wiped his eyes and swallowed, "Okay now, we can kiss and make up later! Right now we've got to save your freaking gosh-darn world!" And he led them through the door and into the Generator Room.

As they bounded down the stairs into the chaotic fight that awaited them below, Xhostam whispered to Xilvin, "I don't _really_ have to kiss you, do I?"

Xilvin cuffed him on the back of the head and sent him tumbling down the rest of the stairs.

* * *

"Nameless! Nameless!" Odium howled with glee, bouncing into the room with an elated grin on his face, "Nameless! They're out! They're all out! Ahahahahahaaaaaaa!" He spun around in a circle, arms flying into the air as he did so, "Can we get them!? Can we tear them apart!?"

"No." Nameless' voice rumbled with suppressed rage and power. Odium stopped spinning and flopped onto the floor with his arms and legs crossed and a pout expression on his face.

"Why nooooottttt?"

Lord Nameless ground his teeth together, trying as best he could not to rip the armrests off the chair he was occupying, "Because they called in reinforcements."

"But they're attacking my hoooooolllleeee!"

"I don't give a rip about the hole. You didn't even make it."

"But my hole is speeeeecciiiaaaallllllll!"

"Quit going on about the hole, Odium," Crimson flashed behind those violet glasses, "Or I'll rip your dark-stained heart out and eat it myself!"

Odium actually flinched.

Nameless was in a foul way to be sending threats to his own comrade. No doubt he was stewing on the fact that they had lost their Nobodies to the Organization. Despite the added fear that they had given those worthless empty shells, Kaz's Heartless seemed determined to work himself into the most unpleasant temper he could muster.

And it seemed to be working.

Lord Nameless got fluidly to his feet in one liquid motion and started pacing the room. Furniture and other loose objects shook in his wake, wiggling across the floor as his telekinetic power flexed with his abhorrence. Odium watched him, passive for once, his one visible eye half-lidded as he watched his partner's progress around and around the room.

"They snapped your Nobody out his nightmares." Nameless growled and a light fixture on the wall ripped itself off and smashed to pieces on the floor, "They're trying to seal up our main power source." The chair he'd been sitting in tipped over and skidded across the floor towards him only to stop and spin in circles before embedding itself into the bedroom wall, "And they've escaped from us numerous times."

"Twice." Odium muttered, the corners of his lips twitching.

Lord Nameless rounded on him, "I DON'T CARE HOW MANY TIMES IT WAS!" He roared, the entire room shaking with his rage, "I DON'T CARE, YOU FOLLISH BIT OF SCUM! I JUST WANT THEM _FADED_!"

Tom's Heartless stared at him with a blank expression for a long moment and then…he laughed.

Odium rolled about on the floor, snorting and howling with sickening delight. He pounded his fists into the carpet and black tears streamed down his face. When he'd finally gotten a hold of himself he turned towards the seething Lord Nameless, rubbing the black from his cheeks.

"Let's go destroy them." He sniggered breathlessly.

"Yes," Nameless breathed, air hissing from between his clenched teeth like an icy winter wind, "Let's…"

* * *

"Is it working?" Xhostam pressed his back against Xilvin's as they fought off waves of advancing Heartless, "Are they closing it?" Xilvin, Xhostam, Axel, Roxas, and Demyx were holding off the Heartless, protecting Xigbar, Xaldin, and Saix as they made an attempt to seal the rift between worlds.

Xilvin swiveled his gaze around and cast a quick, summarizing glance over the work being done, "Yeah, looks like it." He replied and then spun to smash his whip across the chest of a leaping Neo Shadow, catching it mid air and sending the crystalline heart spinning. It vanished before it reached the ceiling.

"How much longer?" Xhostam crouched and rocketed upwards, smashing his spiked fists into an Air Pirate as it swooped low for an attack.

"Heck if I know!"

A fireball exploded to Xhostam's left, making him cry out in pain as he was sent skidding across the floor and into the waiting arms of a group of Minute Bombs. Reflexively, he swung his fists outward and knocked them away. A shadow fell across him and he looked up to see the Crimson Jazz that had probably hit him in the first place. And it was charging up another attack. Xhostam didn't have time to get up and fend it off.

"You're slow, Xhostam!" Axel came out of nowhere, bringing his chakrams down in a full arc and cleaving the Heartless in two, "Not much of a fighter, are you!? You and Demyx should be dance partners!" ("I heard that!" Came Number IX's voice from amidst a mass of pitch black Neo Shadows.) Axel pointed his weapon towards where Xhostam had come from, "Now _that's_ fighting!"

Xhostam watched as Xilvin spun on one foot, lashing the whip around his body in a wide circle, giving him a larger space to fight in. An Armored Knight launched itself at him and he dropped, sweeping his weapon up so that it knocked the Heartless back. But his attention was diverted for a second too long and a gang of Shadows swarmed up his back, making him fall to his stomach on the floor. Xhostam started forward but Axel's outstretched arm caught him in the chest and held him back.

"Watch and learn, Wing Boy." The Flurry of the Dancing Flames murmured, "Roxas works well with every member, even the stingy ones."

True enough, the Key of Destiny came through the swam of enemies and swept Oblivion through the Shadows, freeing Xilvin. A quick nod of thanks and Xilvin was off fighting the Heartless again, Roxas at his back. They were having a fairly easy time until a Living Bone that had somehow blunder through came roaring towards them. Roxas yanked Xilvin out of the way but both of them were caught in the chest by its swinging tail and knocked to the floor.

The Living Bone skidded around and charged at them again but this time they were ready. Roxas cupped his hands and Xilvin stepped into them; Number XIII launched the Howling Storm into the air and Xilvin landed perfectly on the Living Bone's back, knocking the Shaman sitting there off and at Roxas' quick mercy. Then, Number XIV lashed out with his whip and it curled around the Living Bone's upper jaw, snapping it back so that the Heartless bucked around blindly. Xilvin's free hand went into the air and he whooped a hoarse cry of challenge for all to hear.

As they thudded past Roxas, the Key of Destiny snapped out a Keyblade and caught the Living Bone in the side. Using this as leverage, he flipped himself up beside Xilvin on the Heartless' back and started batting away the Surveillance Robots that were gathering around to blast the Howling Storm away. Roxas leaned over, somehow able to keep his balance upon the romping Living Bone, and said something to Xilvin who blinked a couple of times and then nodded, light sparkling in his eyes. Xilvin yanked sideways on the whip, forcing the Living Bone to change direction…and head straight for an oncoming group of Luna Bandits, Neo Shadows, and Armored Knights.

The Heartless were too full of instinct to bother to get out of the way. The Living Bone plowed over its own allies, crushing them beneath its giant feet. Glittering hearts faded into the air, sending a shower of sparkles down upon Roxas and Xilvin as they clung to the Heartless' back.

"Uh-oh." Axel muttered.

"What?" Xhostam was still stunned by the display of battle skills.

"Demyx." Axel replied.

A sharp yelp of surprise and a wave of water sloshed around their ankles. Demyx came barreling past the Living Bone and battering Heartless out of the way with the end of his sitar. Water sprayed into the air as he slid to a halt beside Axel and Xhostam, panting.

"What the _heck_ is wrong with those two!?" The Melodious Nocturne ruffled his hair so that it stood in its regular Mohawk/mullet-like style, "Are they _nuts_!?"

"No," Axel chuckled, unable to stop grinning, "They're smart."

Xilvin suddenly pulled back as hard as he could on his whip. The Living Bone made a noise like fingernails on a chalkboard and keeled over, slamming into the floor. Roxas and Xilvin leapt from its back before it could crush them and the Howling Storm withdrew his whip with a flick of his wrist. Number XIII raised both Oblivion and Oathkeeper and brought them both crashing into the Living Bone.

"Ya' see?" Axel clapped Xhostam on the back, "_That's_ how you fight Heartless." And he jogged back into the fray. Demyx gave the Winged Slayer a quick glance and then vanished as well.

"But…" Xhostam raised his fists, even as he remained standing where the other two had left him, "But…Kaz would…Kaz would never…fight like that…"

"Xhostam! Watch out!" Xilvin's whip shot through the air inches in front of Xhostam's nose and destroyed a Silver Rock that was coming at him, "What's with you!? Come on! We've gotta keep the Heartless off of the others." He said this all with a perfectly blank expression before vanishing into the attacking Heartless.

Xhostam's mind withdrew in on itself as his body continued to reflexively fight off the Heartless. It didn't make sense to him. How could Xilvin fighting skills that Kaz had never—_would_ never—display? Even when he was fighting as a Creature in a Chaotic Drome match, Kaz used the Creature's natural instincts in order to do battle.

_Because they're opposites._ A little logical voice in his mind said, _Just as you are an opposite of Tom. Photo negative of your Other, that's you. As is your Heartless._ Xhostam couldn't stop the shudder that rippled through him at the thought of Odium.

_Opposites. Photo negatives. Nobodies._ Xhostam's pale-eyed gaze flickered over to where he could just see Xigbar, Xaldin, and Saix through the black mass of Heartless, _Our existence is a lie. We live for nothing, if we even live at all._ He shook himself, _What the heck am I thinking! When did I get so cryptic!? Xilvin must be rubbing off on me! I know why I'm doing this! Because Tom needs to get his heart back!_ A memory washed into his gaze but not painfully and not blocking out everything else. It was like a picture lingering on his retinas…

…"_Want to grab some shakes in the Port Court?" He asks, matching Sarah's strides as they walk away from the Drome._

"_Sure." She replies cheerfully, "Loser buys."_

"_Are you calling me a loser?" He raises an eyebrow with an intrigued smile on his lips._

"_What if I am?" She replies, matching his grin with a small smile of her own._

"_Then I'd have to demand a rematch." He flicks the air dramatically with his fingers to emphasize his point, still grinning._

"_A _friendly_ rematch." Sarah points out and they both laugh…_

"_That's_ why I'm doing this!" Xhostam roared, a sudden energy surging through him with the adrenaline of battle, "So get out of my way you stupid, stupid, STUPID HEARTLESS!"

The metal guards on his gauntlets rippled and suddenly duplicated, unfolding all the way up his shoulders. Curves of ivory metal arched under his arms like straps on a pack, more metal criss-crossed across his chest, just under the edges of his hood, and more of the same white-stained steel coiled between his shoulder blades, forming what looked like where the flames from a rocket would come out. And sure enough, blazing white-blue energy erupted out of them, shooting into the air and then reeling back to form into two great, beating wings of nothing but energy.

Sparks of raw and untainted power dripped like liquid fire upon the Heartless, causing them to sizzle and scuttle away. Xhostam blinked at this complete extension of his power and then his eyes narrowed and he rounded on the retreating Heartless. Number XV opened his mouth, tilted his head back, and screamed a wordless cry of passion and determination to the ceiling. Then he launched himself into the air, wings pumping and shedding more sparks, and swooped low of the scattering enemies.

Axel let out a low whistle that showed he was impressed, "Guess that's why they call him the Winged Slayer." He smirked, "Heh, guess it's time to show off why I'm called the Flurry of the Dancing Flames." Axel dropped into a fighting stance and raised his hands level with his shoulders. His chakrams spun, licking flames, floating at the edges of his fingertips. Then he jerked upright and spun, vanishing in an eruption of boiling fire.

Xhostam's eyebrows hitched up on his forehead and he looked around for his fellow Organization members but there was no one in sight. Then he turned his gaze to the whip in his hand. After a brief moment of contemplation, he tightened his grip on its handle and dove back into the fray.

He didn't need fancy looking weapons to be a good fighter.

* * *

It seemed days later that the Heartless finally withdrew. In truth, it had only been a couple of hours but it was enough for the Organization members to be completely exhausted. Even Saix was too worn out to be angry with Axel for leading his charges out of safety. Xhostam, after expending so much energy, had fallen asleep on his feet and was now being carried fireman-style by Xaldin.

The hole had been closed, though, and that's what mattered.

When the Passage of Darkness deposited them in the UnderWorld Cafeteria, the sun had already dropped behind the peaks of the Hoarfrost Crests and from beyond the Danian Cafeteria, they could hear the faint noises of the Khaos brothers, staff, and teenagers getting ready for a good night's rest.

With a loud and unashamed yawn, Xilvin wriggled out of his Organization cloak, unrolled his sleeping bag, and snuggled himself deep within it, burying his face in the pillow with a contented sigh of relief.

The lights went out, plunging the room into darkness, but it wasn't the scary sort of darkness the Howling Storm had described to Tom what seemed like an eternity ago. It was welcoming, comforting, and shielding because he knew there were others around him who care about his well-being. Xilvin closed his eyes and let his mind wander. He could hear the gentle breathing of the other members; Axel's obnoxious habit of taking deep, quiet breaths through his mouth and then letting them out loudly through his nose, Demyx's air drawn between slightly parted lips almost making a pleasant whistling noise, Xhostam's normal, soothing breaths. A snore of sorts made Xilvin jolt but when he focused, he figured it was probably Xaldin.

Kaz's Nobody let himself go and swirled around the station of semi-sleep for a while.

Then he sank into the dark recesses of sleep and dreamed of things he would not remember come morning.

* * *

(yawns) I'm sleepy. But I'm so glad I finished this. And on night before final exams, no less! W00t, w00t! Okay, I'm done. (yawns again)

Anyway, I tried to push this chapter a little longer because my updates haven't been what they used to be. Hopefully this made up for it at least a little bit. And the story's still taking on a life of its own. Then again, I was talking to myself this morning about why Xhostam's name is "the Winged Slayer" so I suppose the story gave me a legitimate answer.

In other news, when I was trying to think of Chaotic episodes for the memory I drew a blank. This has greatly upset me (Kaz: Liar. You're just whining.). I can only clearly remember the episode that accompanied my favorite one. So, two episodes stand out clearly in the empty space in my head: _A Flux Too Far_ and_ Chaotic Crisis_. (gigglesnort) He plays the hero and dies in his own dream. He's delusional and that's what makes him so darn funny. My fave! (tackles Kaz)

All I'm really going to ask for you awesome people to send me some scenes (written please, no vids. my computer's too old for that) of your favorite episodes while I scour a sight a friend of mine pointed out, hoping and praying that they have _Chaotic_ on it. I don't know if I'll do any more memories (I'm planning on it but maybe the story has other ideas) but I always say "better safe, than sorry."

Thanks for reading, you guys! Please stay tuned, please keep review, and have a great day! Byes!

Kaz: Will you get off of me now?


	25. The Contrast of Happiness and Sorrow

I've been debating with myself whether to let you guys know about this or not and I've finally just caved so here it is. As soon as I finish "The Other Side," I'm going to start posting an Alternate Universe, Chaotic fan fiction called "Nice To Be Loved." This is all the information you're getting on this until I post it. I just…thought you'd like to know. Please check it out if you liked this fiction; I plan on making NTBL twice as good. And twice as long. X3

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**25: The Contrast of Happiness and Sorrow

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**

"_Certain flaws are necessary for the whole. It would seem strange if old friends lacked certain quirks." __-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

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_

Xilvin hadn't realized how late he'd slept into the day until he rubbed his eyes open and saw the sunlight searing through the windows. The rest of the Cafeteria was mostly empty save for Demyx who was merely a misshapen lump underneath his sleeping bag. The Howling Storm yawned, stretched, and struggled out of his own bag. Then, without bothering to don his Organization cloak and to tired to put on his socks and boots, he stumbled through the Danian and OverWorld Cafeterias (Joseph and some of the staff members shot him cool looks of distrust as he passed them) and nearly fell into the Mipedian Cafeteria. A wave of noise washed over him as he scooped up some lunch and flopped down at a nearby table.

"…_Give me something of your soul that I can hold onto."_ Two of the girls were singing at the karaoke machine, _"I want to wake up to the sound of waves crashing on a brand new day. Keep the memory of your face but wipe the pain away."_

"Hey, hey! Look who's awake!" Xhostam grinned as he sat across the table from Xilvin, "How's it going, Xil? You sleep good enough?"

"You're one to talk." Number XIV felt a slight twinge of annoyance at the nickname but kept his face expressionless as usual, "You fell asleep on your feet yesterday after your whole…" Unable to find words to describe it, Xilvin simply made a gesture like something coming out of his back, "How'd you do that, anyway?"

"_When you're lonely, when you're heart aches, it's gonna take a little time. Yeah, it's gonna take a little time."_

"I dunno." Xhostam lost a bit of his former enthusiasm, shrugging his shoulders, "I just got really mad at the Heartless and…bam." He spread his fingers, palms up, on the table and then slapped them down again.

"_When the night falls, when you're stumbling, it's gonna take a little time to make it to the other side."_

Xilvin's hazel eyes flitted over to where Roxas and Axel seemed to be hanging out; a shadowy corner, as it happened. They were talking but the noise level kept the Howling Storm from hearing their words and he couldn't lip read either. But whatever they were talking about, Roxas seemed pretty upset about it. And Axel had that same serious expression on his face he'd had when he was explaining things to Xilvin and Xhostam yesterday.

"_So don't miss the diamonds along the way. Every road has led us here today."_

"What?" Xhostam looked around at where Xilvin's gaze was.

"Nothing." Xilvin muttered. But it was something. The moment his gaze had settled on them, a memory, however brief, had blazed brightly across his eyes…

…"_Excuse me, Mr. Mipedian." He stands up, a cocky smile lingering on his face, "But I believe I've won a higher percentages of Drome matches than _you_ have." He holds his hand out, raising an eyebrow, as though daring Peyton to make a comeback. _

_He does, predictably._

"_Ah, Drome Masters don't care about percentages, my friend." Peyton rolls his eyes, grinning like he has the answers to the mysteries of life, "They care about _wins_. I have more_ wins_ than you!" He's talking like a teacher would talk to a student who didn't understand why five plus five could only equal ten and not something else._

_He flares in annoyance. He can't help it. His parents were harassing him this morning and now Peyton's pushing just the right buttons to start a fight._

"_I hope you're not trying to say you're a better player than me!" He throws out with just the hint of anger in his voice._

"_Absolutely not," Peyton retorts unconvincingly, "No point in sayin' what everybody knoowwsss!" Peyton lets out a short burst of laughter, "Especially after I've destroyed them in the Beta Drome the first time we mixed it up!"_

"_Hey! I have a good idea!" He snaps back, cheeks flushing as his temper gets the better of him, "Why don't you make like a Mipedian and _disappear_!" He flings his arms out to emphasize his point and glares daggers at Peyton…_

"Was not nothing." Xhostam turned back to face Xilvin and snatched a piece of his orange, shoving it into his mouth before the Howling Storm could protest, "You saw a memory, Xil, I know you did." He swallowed and reached for another but Xilvin slapped his hand away and pulled his tray closer.

"You're as bad as Peyton." He grumbled.

"_Little bird, what's troublin' you? You know what you have to do. What is yours you'll never lose and what's ahead may shine."_

"Don't compare me to Peyton!" It was almost a whine, "I'm not like Peyton!"

"You're right, sorry. You're more obnoxious."

"Hey! You don't mean that! Take it back!"

"I mean every word I've ever said!" Xilvin stated, pushing his now empty tray away and crossing his arms over his chest. The zipper on his vest clicked, "Because I'm KidChaor!"

Silence.

Even though there was laughter in the background, singing, talking, and a variety of other noises, Xilvin felt an oppression of silence crushing him down in his seat.

But it was the look on Xhostam's face that hurt the most.

Or the lack thereof.

Xhostam's variety of expressions were limitless. He was never without some kind of emotion displayed on his face and they weren't faked like Xilvin's were. They were real. He was never seen without wearing something.

But now his features were completely blank. Even those pale, blue-violet eyes were empty.

"Don't say that." Xhostam whispered but it pounded—like someone had the bass up too loud—against Xilvin's eardrums, "Don't say stupid lies like that."

The sound came back on and a cold chill ran over Xilvin.

"_Beneath the promise of blue skies, with broken wings we'll learn to fly. Pull yourself out of the tide and begin the dream again."_

"I'm sorry Xhostam." And he really did mean it this time, "I just…" The Howling Storm folded his arms across the table top and rested his head in them, long bangs brushing the violet checkmarks on his cheeks, "I just…want my heart back…"

"_When you're lonely, when you're heart aches, it's gonna take a little time. Yeah, it's gonna take a little time. When the night falls, when you're stumbling, it's gonna take a little time to make it to the other side."_

"Doesn't everybody?" It was a rhetorical question but Xilvin made a noise of consent in response, "Hey Xilvin, um, I've been thinking, like, what's gonna happen when we _do_ get our hearts back? Will Tom still have my memories? And Odium's memories too? Or is he just gonna forget the whole thing?"

"_So don't miss the diamonds along the way. Every road has led us here today. Won't you shine on, morning light, burn the darkness away."_

"I…don't know." Xilvin answered truthfully and then started. He turned his head, still keeping it in his arms, and saw the disapproving glare Saix was sending him. He suddenly felt like a kid who'd guiltily tracked mud all over the house. The Howling Storm stood up, stuck his tongue out at the Luna Diviner, and then spun and headed for the UnderWorld Cafeteria. But not before he caught sight of Saix's bristling hair. He chuckled and kept moving, Xhostam following behind him and asking him repeatedly what was so funny.

"_Walk with me the diamond road. Tell me everything is gold. Give me something of your soul so you don't fade away…"_

* * *

Roxas' neon blue eyes followed Xilvin and Xhostam as they left the Cafeteria. Then he shot a glance over at Saix who only looked at the Key of Destiny blankly and went back to the food set neatly on a plate before him.

"Roxas?" Number XIII turned back to Axel, "Are you listening to me?"

"Mm, yeah."

Axel's red eyebrows nearly touched as he frowned at his companion, "You've already been thinking about this, haven't you?"

Roxas shrugged, "That the Heartless side with whoever's the strongest, making us the weakest? Yeah." His gloved fingertips drummed the tabletop betraying the nervousness his face hid, "I'm beginning to think that the Superior would have been better off never trying to open a path into Perim. We've messed up so many people's lives. I mean," He cast a hand around the room, "All those staff members who didn't leave Nobodies behind, they're never coming back. They're gone for good. And what if they had families and people who cared about them? Look what we've done." He dropped his chin into his hands, "The boy in my dreams, he felt like this once."

"The…boy in your dreams?" Axel sounded strained but Roxas didn't notice.

"Yeah. He had to leave a castle full of his friends and he was afraid that he'd never see them again. It made him feel like…like crap."

Axel sighed and shook his head, "I think Xilvin's starting to rub off on you, the angst-boy that he is. Come on, lighten up. Didn't I tell you that already?"

Roxas couldn't stop the small smile that lifted the corners of his lips, "Yeah, you did."

* * *

"Tomorrow." Saix's chilling tones made the rest of the Organization look up at him. It was late in the day and he had his back to them, looking out at the mountains as the sun dropped lower and lower in the sky.

"Tomorrow?" Demyx echoed, slouching over his sitar where he'd been playing a version of 'Oh Come, All Yee Faithful.'

"We attack. Tomorrow night." The Luna Diviner confirmed with a short nod of his head, "When the moon is high."

"Where at? Why at night?" Xhostam questioned and then made an odd squeaking noise as a slimmer of angry yellow stared at him. Saix turned back to the window again.

"In the art studios." He answered and was silent.

"But why at night?" Xhostam whispered more to himself this time.

"Because that's when Saix's power is at its peak." Roxas responded from the top of a vending machine next to them, "He is the Luna Diviner."

"Don't give away all our secrets, Number XIII." Xigbar chortled, "Those two probably won't be with us for much longer."

Xilvin narrowed his eyes at the Freeshooter but the Nobody only sniggered mockingly and turned away. The scar on the side of his face was stretched so that it looked like it would pop and start to bleed.

The Howling Storm looked down at the table top between his fingers and sighed.

* * *

I know that was short and I know that was filler and I'm sorry but at least I got you guys two chapters, huh?

I guess you know what's coming up in the next chapters. I hope it's going to be good but I've kind of been turning my attention towards NTBL so…I can't guarantee anything.

On the other hand, I finally figured out how to get videos on my PSP so I've put _Scavenger Scan _on there (if that wasn't obvious from the memory) and 2/3rd's of _A Rare Hazard_ because I didn't realize there were 3 parts. (grumbles because she doesn't know the next chance she'll get to get online and get the next part. I _want_ to get my favorite ones on there but I'm making due with what I've got at the moment.

Well, thank you guys for reading, I hope to see you in the next chapter, please keeping reading and review, and toodles!

Disclaimer: "Diamond Road" by Sheryl Crow


	26. Teamwork

Been a little while, hasn't it? I've been catching up on the Chaotic episodes I haven't been able to watch on TV with the 4Kids website at school. Thank goodness it hasn't been blocked (sighs in bliss). It's like chocolate—no even better than chocolate! It's like chocolate covered strawberries! No! Even better! A _virgin strawberry daiquiri_! (goes off on some random daydream-fantasy about food)

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**26: Teamwork

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"_The thing under my bed waiting to grab my ankle isn't real. I know that, and I also know that if I'm careful to keep my foot under the covers, it will never be able to grab my ankle." –Stephen King

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_

"Ow!"

"Shhhh!"

"Xhostam stepped on me!"

"_Quiet_!"

"What are you doing?" All of the Organization members froze, barely outlines in the moonlight that was just beginning to peek over the tops of the Hoarfrost Crests. Hazel eyes flashed towards the doors to the Danian Cafeteria.

"Tobias?" Xilvin whispered and the shadowy figure in the doorway made a motion that could have been a curt nod, "What are you doing?"

"Didn't I just ask you that same question?" The oldest Khaos brother responded softly, "I could hear you lumbering around two rooms over. Now answer me, as you are taking refuge in my establishment; what are you doing?"

No one was willing to answer, especially Xilvin and Xhostam for fear that Tobias would make attempts to stop them. No one moved, no one spoke. They simply cast fervent glances between one another.

"Ah," Tobias said and even though it was in a monotone sort of way, Xhostam flinched, "You're going to fight the Heartless." There was still no answer but the eldest Khaos didn't need one to know the response, "Well then, I only have one thing to say to you: Keep Xilvin and Xhostam safe. They are the keys to this whole operation—no pun intended, Roxas—and if something happened to damage the chances of Thomas and Kazdan returning…" He left the sentence hanging and left, letting the door swing gently shut behind him.

"We should go." Roxas said in a low voice and there was a mocking snort of agreement from Xigbar.

* * *

The art studios were silent when they stepped out of the Passage of Darkness. Moonlight flooded the great, window-walled room with ghostly silver-blue light. It illuminated the overturned tables and scattered art supplies. Most of these were kicked aside by Xigbar and Luxord. Saix was standing in front of the windows, head tilted back and eyes closed, drinking in the moonlight with a sort ecstasy.

The whole room was drowning in tension in the sort of "calm before the storm" sort of way.

Xilvin suddenly felt that there were going to do something really, really stupid.

"Challenging us again?" Came Nameless' chilling voice and he stepped from the shadows, Odium giggling at his side, "You are a bunch of worthless scum." The strain in his voice was temper induced. He was angry. He wanted the Organization finished.

Axel, who'd been leaning against the wall next to the door, suddenly straightened and pressed his hand against it. A bar of light flashed around the entire room, forming a barrier.

Nameless' glowing crimson eyes narrowed, "That stupid barrier of yours won't matter after your Faded."

"We're _not_ Fading." Xilvin snapped, stepping forward with his fists clenched, "But we _our_ getting our hearts back!"

Odium sniggered, "Heeheehee! You still think you can beat us? Even after we tore you to pieces last time!? Laughable! Ahaahaahaaaaaahahahahahaha!" Tom's Heartless threw his head back, pointing his face to the ceiling, and howled with sickening glee, "Aheeheeehahahahahaaaahahahaha!"

"Shut up!" Xhostam shouted from behind Xilvin, "J-just shut up!"

"Yes, Odium." Lord Nameless hissed, "Shut up. And fight!"

"ATTACK!" Saix roared, spinning away from the window, and a giant, spiked claymore burst to life in his hands. His hair stood on end, his eyes glowed with insanity, and he raised the claymore over his head with a wild cry.

"Brace yourselves!" Axel shouted and dropped to duck underneath a table, covering his head with his hands.

"Wha—!?" Xhostam managed to get out before he was knocked to the ground by a shockwave of energy that sent anything still standing flying through the air. Xilvin skidded across the floor on all fours, digging his fingertips down to try and find purchase.

"Hey Saix!" Xigbar called from his perch atop an overturned easel, "Quit trying to kill us to!" Saix made a snarling noise but leapt backwards to stand between the Freeshooter and the Whirlwind Lancer.

Across the room, Odium was upside down against the opposite wall, legs dangling in the air and a trickle of black blood was bubbling out of cut on his forehead. It vanished into his messy hair, blending in with the midnight black locks.

"Where's Nameless?" Demyx whimpered from beside Roxas.

There was a scream of abhorrence and a couple of tables went flying into the air, smashing into the ceiling, then slamming back down to the floor. Nameless stood where they had previously buried him, a cut on his cheek healing over and his glasses hanging from one ear so they dangled across his face.

"I…am so…sick…" He growled under his breath, shaking in rage, "Of you…stupid…stupid…_stupid_…interfering…NOBODIES!" He flung his hands out and the air in front of him boiled forward in a rolling swell of heat.

"Burn, baby!" Axel flung a chakram through the space between the Heartless and the rest of the Organization and a streak of fire lit across the floor. With the other chakram, he sliced forward and the oncoming, super-heated air split on either side of him, frothing upwards invisibly to ram into the ceiling. The paint bubbled and dripped down in great white streaks. The Flurry of the Dancing Flames panted and stumbled backwards, catching his chakram as it came back to his hand. The fire barrier flickered and died.

"Nice block, Number VIII." Xaldin stated, "But I think you overdid yourself."

"I HATE YOU!" Lord Nameless shrieked, "ODIUM! DESTROY THEM!"

Odium gave a squeal of delight and launched himself from the wall with a quick flip. Lord Nameless followed close behind him. Odium charged Xhostam and as he ran, his hair was tossed from his face to reveal that horrid eye. The Winged Slayer screamed in panic and threw his arms in front of his face, stumbling backwards to sink to the floor against the wall. A long-bladed knife was suddenly in Odium's hand and it was swinging down in gleaming steel to take Xhostam's life.

"Xhostam, you idiot!" Xilvin screamed, running for him, "Move!" He dove, intending to take the hit instead, but someone else shoved him aside. A cry of pain as the knife wedged into Demyx's shoulder and pinned him to the wall.

"Xhostam! Get Up! Fight!" Xilvin grabbed Number XV and hauled him to his feet. In the same move, he spun and flung his leg out, smashing it into Odium's chest and knocking him backwards. Then he turned to Demyx, "Hey! Are you alright!?"

"Go…" Demyx panted, sweat beading his forehead, "Go…fight! I can take…care of myself! Go! Now!"

"You're not Fading!" Xhostam pushed past Xilvin and yanked the knife out. Demyx didn't even have time to scream as Odium came charging back at them, laughing and snarling. Luxord stepped from nowhere and raised a hand. A giant card emblazed with the Nobody symbol popped out of the ground and there was a comical _thud_ as Tom's Heartless ran head first into it.

"Xilvin!" Luxord snapped without looking at the Howling Storm, "Go help the others! Roxas and I will assist here!"

"Right!" Xilvin bounded across the room, whip in his hand, and was almost beheaded by a flying chair had it not been for Saix's claymore cleaving it from the air.

"Watch your back, Number XIV!" The Luna Diviner snapped and leapt away, aiming his great weapon at Nameless.

"Whoops! Over here!" Came a mocking voice and Xigbar appeared hanging upside down from the ceiling, ponytail dangling. He aimed and fired, catching Nameless in the shoulder, before disappearing again, "Ha, ha! Now I'm here!" He teleported (Xilvin could find no other word for it) and shot Odium in the leg. Tom's Heartless crashed to his knees, giggling, and rolled away before Roxas' Keyblade could smash into him.

"Hey! Hey!" Axel skipped out of Nameless' blasting range as Kaz's Heartless let loose a volley of burning dark energy, "Eyes on the fight, Xil, eyes on the fight!"

Xilvin raised his whip and smacked it into the floor. The resulting noise made his own eardrums pop and everyone else smacked their hands over their ears for a few brief moments. Nameless' pants became shredded into shorts.

He bared jagged teeth in an animalistic way and he raised his hands over his head. Sharpened pencils and silver pens floated into the air from the floor and pointed their tips at Saix, Xaldin, Axel, and Xilvin.

"Crap." Axel muttered.

"Hmph." Xaldin snorted and several intricate spears spun into existence around him.

"Go. Die." Lord Nameless growled and brought his hand down in a swift chopping motion. The pens and pencils shot forward.

Xilvin's whip cracked into the air, knocking a handful of the utensils down but he wasn't fast enough to catch them all. He ducked, bracing himself for stabbing pain, when a cold wind lifted his bangs. The Howling Storm peered through the arms he'd folded over his face to protect it from the oncoming projectiles and saw that he and the other three Organization members were surrounded by a tornado that caught up pencils and pens and tossed them away. Xaldin's lances danced in the whirlwind, spinning and flashing as though daring Nameless to approach.

Xilvin could just see his Heartless through the currents of air and garbage. Nameless' usually calm and cold face was contorted and twisted by hatred and anger. It was frightening to see Kaz's—his _Other's_—features warped in such a way.

_And that's why I'm going to get my heart back_," He thought as the wind died down and stopped playing with his spiked hair, _Because you don't deserve to use Kaz's body for your sick little plans._

"Let's get Chaotic!" The Howling Storm shouted and ran full tilt at Nameless, whip raised and ready. Nameless sneered and shouted an incoherent battle cry, racing forward to meet him.

* * *

I figure that's a good a place as any to stop. Besides, it's late and I'm sleepy and I want to go to bed.

Hm, it helps to watch _Mad Max: The Road Warrior_ before writing a fight scene. (grins) Yeah, that's what I was doing. Stuffing my face with chocolate cake and watching the movie. Better than the first one, it is. Highly recommended. Also the _Bourne_ series—Identity, Supremacy, and Ultimatum—are good too. Plus they have Matt in them and he's a cutie.

Ahem, anyway! I cut this off where I did because I'm a jerk face and I like what Xilvin said. Go Xilvin, you rock. This story is running away on its own. I think the end is changing too. Darn you. Better than Writer's Block, though.

So thank you guys for reading, please leave me a review, and I'll see you in the next chapter! Byes!

**P.S. If anyone has any quotes from Tom and/or Kaz saying something, I dunno, friendshipy from the show could you please send them to me? I have…plans for them. X3**


	27. Friends in My Heart

So to recap: Xilvin, Xaldin, Saix, and Axel are fighting Lord Nameless, Xhostam, Luxord, Demyx, and Roxas are fighting Odium, and Xigabr's doing his teleporting thing between the two fights, blasting away where he can. This is going to be messy…

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**27: Friends in my Heart

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"_And where the midsummer tree grows tall, by Pendragon's sword the Dark shall fall." –from_ "_Silver on the Tree"_ _by Susan Cooper

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_

"Let's get Chaotic!" The Howling Storm shouted and ran full tilt at Nameless, whip raised and ready. Nameless sneered and shouted an incoherent battle cry, racing forward to meet him.

Out of the corner of his eye, Xilvin saw Axel and his chakrams coming up on his left and Saix and his monstrous claymore running up on his right. Xilvin raised his whip, tightened his fingers around the handle, and spun it in his signature move,

"Shriek in Rage, Ghosts of Eternal Torment!"

The air vibrated and the whip screamed, making their ears ring. Nameless howled as he was thrown backwards, the force of the noise ripping his skin. His glasses flew off his face and smashed into a wall, shattering violet glass that glowed in the moonlight.

"RRRHHHAAAAGGGGGG!" It was a wordless scream of absolute wrath and detestation. The room shook, rocking the Organization members off their feet. Lord Nameless leered over Xilvin, grabbed him by the throat, lifted him into the air, and threw him against the far wall. The Howling Storm left a dent in the wall and remained lodged there, head hanging. A large glob of crimson blood slid from the back of his head, down the side of his face, and splashed to the floor. Another soon followed.

"Xilvin!" Xhostam cried and tried to get to his companion only to have his way bared by a laughing Odium. Xhostam threw his hand in front of his face to stop himself from looking at that awful, awful eye and lashed out with his other hand. He felt clawed gauntlets catch the fabric of his Heartless' shirt and tear it. He jumped backwards and chanced a glance around.

On the other side of the room, Axel, Xaldin, Saix, and Xigbar were battling it out with Lord Nameless. Demyx was lying on the floor a few feet away, his shoulder wound healed by the looks of things, but he wasn't moving. Luxord was charging Odium and Roxas was nowhere to be seen. Odium lunged and then stumbled back with a sharp yelp as cards shot out of the ground and knocked him off his feet.

"Xhostam!" Roxas dropped from above, spinning Oathkeeper and Oblivion in his hands so that they caught Odium in the back and knocked him down, "Whatever it is you did yesterday do it again! We could use that kind of power right about now!"

"I…I don't know how I did it, though!" The Winged Slayer cried in return, skipping backwards as Odium flung a couple of knives at him. They landed uselessly on the floor and the Heartless snarled angrily.

"I'm sick of you." Tom's Heartless flung an arm out and batted away the oncoming Luxord who soared through the air and landed with a sickening crack across an easel, "You're _ruining_ my fun! I'm hungry! I want hearts!" He held his hands out, palms up, two great cleavers formed there, swirling with dark energy.

Roxas charged him but Odium turned his freakish right eye on the Key of Destiny and Number XIII froze in his tracks. Paralyzed. Odium turned back to Xhostam who was shaking his head back and forth slowly. Not like this…not like this. He looked around for help but Xilvin was still incapacitated and the others were too busy with Nameless. Xigbar was hanging upside down from the ceiling again but not of his own volition; he was strung up in the light structures.

Xhostam was alone.

Number XV turned back to face his Heartless, setting his face in a scowl of determination that he didn't believe in. If he defeated Odium, at least the beginning of the end would start and give Xilvin a chance to fight Lord Nameless.

"Get up, Xil," Xhostam whispered under his breath, "and don't you _dare_ Fade!"

"What're you whispering about!?" Odium hissed, hair once more curtaining his eye, "Come on! Share with rest of us!" He laughed mockingly, "I'll keep your secrets, Nobody!"

And he attacked, swinging his cleavers around in blazing silver that glowed in the moonlight coming through the windows. Xhostam let a wordless cry of fear slip past his lips and snapped his hands up. One of the clawed gauntlets caught one of the oncoming cleavers but his other hand missed, raking through thin air, and the blade lodged itself into his side. He screamed and Odium laughed, twisting the handle about in his grip.

"Fade back into the Nothing you came from!" Tom's Heartless roared with sadistic mirth, one cleaver twisting deeper into Xhostam's flesh and the other fighting against the clawed gauntlet that blocked its way, "Just FADE!"

Xhostam's pale eyes flickered away from Odium's face for a brief moment, sweat trickling down from his forehead, and then he shook his head, shaggy black hair matted with blood and sweat.

"No." His voice sounded thick with pain and sorrow, "I can't. Because I…my heart is…" He screamed as the knife twisted deeper, "ROXAS!"

Odium didn't have time to react. Oblivion sprouted from his chest, jagged blade tearing through the front of his jacket and snapping the laces. It kept coming and sliced into Xhostam.

The cleavers dropped from the Heartless' fingers and clattered to the floor.

And he howled in defeat.

Everything stopped. Nameless backed away from the Organization, staring with wide red eyes at his partner in crime.

Xhostam looked into Odium's staring, neon blue eye and smiled, "Tom's coming back."

"NO!" Nameless yelled and made for Odium but Saix's claymore smashed into him and knocked him aside.

Lights wove around Xhostam and Odium, brilliant silver, blue, and white. Odium lifted up his trembling fingers and stared at them. They were fading into black and flaking away to mix in with the swirling light. Xhostam closed his eyes and tilted his head back, feeling himself break apart. A smile lingered on his lips,

"Bye, Xilvin. It's been fun."

Across the room, the Howling Storm groaned and lifted his head up in time to see Xhostam and Odium disappear in a rolling mass of black and dark violet that mingled with the dazzling lights.

"Xhostam…"

"MAGGOTS!" Xilvin's head snapped around to look at Nameless. Kaz's Heartless was standing in the middle of a mass of wreckage, visibly shaking with abhorrence, "SCUM! IDIOTS! FOOLS! YOU'RE ALL GOING TO FADE RIGHT HERE! RIGHT NOW!"

"Enough, Nameless." Xilvin said and his Heartless spun around to face him, "You're finished. There's nothing left. It's at least six against one."

"NEVER!" Nameless brought his hands into the air and all of the large pieces of junk in around him floated up with the gesture. He focused his glowing crimson orbs on Xilvin and hissed between jagged, fang-like teeth, "Never."

"Burn!" Axel shouted and flung himself at Nameless only to get caught in the chest by a filing cabinet and pinned against the wall with a grunt of pain.

"Axel!" Roxas raised Oathkeeper and aimed it at Nameless, "Deep Freeze!" Ice shot out of the end of the Keyblade and was headed right for Kaz's Heartless. It met only a small writing table that quickly flung itself at the Key Bearer. Roxas dodge rolled out of the way and landed in a crouch.

Nameless had a hoard of tables, easels, and filing cabinets rotating around him in a protective barrier. It seemed impossible. Xilvin looked around the room, hoping to see something that might aid him in getting at his Heartless. His gaze fell upon Xaldin and his lances that were spinning on the wind.

The wind…

Xilvin raced over to the Whirlwind Lancer, dodging the heavy chair telekinetically thrown his way, and skidded to a halt next to Number III, "Xaldin, I need your help." And he stood on tiptoe, speaking softly into the Nobody's ear to reveal his plan. Xaldin blinked once, twice, and then a malevolent smile made him look all the more foreboding.

"You are a smart one, Number XIV." He raised a hand and the lances froze in place in a ring around his arm, aimed right at Nameless who was preoccupied with Saix, Luxord, and Demyx who had recovered from whatever Odium had done to him, "When you are ready."

Xilvin took a stance in front of Xaldin's outstretched limb and started spinning his whip around once more, holding his weapon out to the side. But he withheld his power, merely rotating to weapon to gather the speed and strength he desired. Nameless caught the movement and flung heavy furniture in his direction but a couple of blasts of red energy stopped them short.

Xigbar stood, perfectly poised, in front of a window, almost a silhouette against the silver-white moonlight. He hefted one of his odd guns onto his shoulder and grinned, "Lock. Reload."

Xilvin nodded his thanks and returned his attention to his Heartless. Then, still rotating his weapon, he sucked in a huge breath and held it for a split second. He felt Xaldin tense behind him. And opened his mouth, letting out a loud, long scream of defiance,

"RRRRRRRHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

At the same time, he brought his revolving weapon around in front of him and unleashed his powers. The result was a wave of raw sound and energy that got caught in the vortex of his whip and obliterated anything in their path.

Including Nameless' blockade.

Kaz's Heartless threw his arms in front of his face on reflex, skidding backwards to smash into the wall as the attack hit him. His view blocked, Nameless didn't see Xaldin's lances heading for him until they'd pinned him against the wall. He struggled, snarling but it was to no avail.

The Organization members walked slowly up to him, dragging their weapons behind them, exhausted. Xaldin staggered into Axel and the Flurry of the Dancing Flames grabbed him around the middle, hoisting him up on his tired feet.

"Number IX!" Saix snapped and they all looked around, "Back away!"

Demyx, who'd wandered too close, yelped and tried to skirt the Heartless but wasn't quite fast enough. He screamed and tumbled to the floor, smoking, as a blast of super-heated darkness hit him in the side. Nameless let loose a loud, mocking, "HA!" and then growled as Roxas' two Keyblades suddenly pointed themselves at his chest. The Heartless looked down the lengths of the blades to Roxas' face and then flicked his crimson eyes to lock them with Xilvin's hazel ones.

"There is darkness within every heart!" He spat, "And there will always be darkness!"

Xilvin didn't answer, he just stepped between Oatherkeeper and Oblivion and his Heartless.

"Hey Roxas," Xilvin put his hands into the pockets of his black cloak, trying to look nonchalant and hide the fact that his hands were shaking, "What's going to happen? And where'd Xho—Tom go?"

"He's probably waiting for you in the Realm of Darkness." Axel said with a shrug, helping the groaning Demyx up, "Wouldn't put it past the kid."

Xilvin smiled and looked at Roxas. Then he nodded. Roxas hesitated for one second and then plunged Oathkeeper through the Howling Storm and into Lord Nameless.

"Ro…Roxas…" Xilvin gasped as the light sparkled around him and his Heartless, "I h-hope…I hope you find your Other." And then the dark tendrils consumed them both and they were gone.

"Yeah." The Key of Destiny said softly, letting both Keyblades vanish from his hands, "Yeah…"

* * *

"_Hey, I've been waiting."_

"_I know."_

_He smiled._

* * *

Um, I know that ending is a little confusing but the next chapter should clear it up. We're really coming to the end now. I think one or two more chapters should about wrap this thing up. It's always sad to see a fic end and I'll miss Xilvin and Xhostam but "nothing gold can stay", right?

Well anyway, I won't keep you guys any longer. Read on. Find out Tom and Kaz's fates.

As always, thanks for reading, please leave a review, and byes!


	28. Beyond the Door

**28: Beyond the Door

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**

"A friend is one who believes in you when you have ceased to believe in yourself."-Anonymous

* * *

_The Realm of Darkness. _

_It wasn't as scary as it sounded._

_The two of them stood, side by side, at the edge of the water, watching it froth against the shore. The full moon glittered off its surface, illuminating the scenery. Sand, a dark sky, mist that curled around their ankles, and arching formations of rocks veined with glowing blue. _

_It was actually quite beautiful in a sort of lonely way. _

"_It's nice here." He said, looking out of the endless mass of water. The waves reached for the tips of his shoes and then were dragged back._

"_Yeah." His friend responded._

_They stood in silence again, each keeping to their own thoughts, and then the friend said slowly, _

"_The world really is made of light and darkness…and not good and evil."_

"_Mm." He crouched down and swirled his fingers through the cool liquid rising and ebbing at the shore line._

"_I guess…there's more out there than we're meant to know." His friend cocked his head to the side, now watching the reflection of the moon in the water. It gleamed off his glasses as well, "I'd like to explore those other worlds someday."_

_He sighed and sat back on the sand. His friend followed suit and they remained still on the shore, the moonlight casting their faces in a pale, ethereal glow. _

"_This place is almost perfect." He said in a low voice._

"_Yeah." His friend agreed._

_Silence reigned. Neither of them moved. They both sat with their eyes closed, faces turned towards that glowing orb in the sky. _

_Time stood still and yet continued ticking onward. The moon did not wane nor fade nor set._

"_This must be eternity." His friend whispered, his eyes still closed, "It's beautiful."_

_A cool breeze wafted in from the water but no one was sitting on the shore to feel it._


	29. The Return of MajorTom and KidChaor

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I present to you…

* * *

**29: The Return of MajorTom and KidChaor

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**

_Tom: "Maxxor rules."_

_Kaz: "Chaor rules more." –from Chaotic: From the Deep pt. 2

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_

He took a deep breath and then opened his eyes. He hadn't smelled the cool, evening air that came with the Realm of Darkness or the salty scent of the water that had lapped at their feet.

He'd smelled bacon.

Kaz stood up and ran a hand through his spiky, slightly disheveled, hair, looking around as he did so. One minute he'd been sitting next to Tom on the shore of the Realm of Darkness and the next he'd woken up in…in…where?

"My gosh…" He swallowed, "The Danian Cafeteria. We're back. Tom!? Tom!?" He spun around, searching for his best friend, "Tom!?"

"Kaz!" Tom rocketed up off the floor, looking about wildly, excitement glittering in his brilliant blue eyes, "Kaz, we're back! I smell bacon! Bacon, Kaz, _bacon_!" He let out a great whooping laugh of joy. Kaz caught up in his excitement danced around on the spot, laughing and shouting.

Then his stomach growled and he looked at Tom. They both laughed.

"Race you." Tom challenged and took off, Kaz hot on his heels. They barreled through the empty OverWorld Cafeteria, nearly tripping over a chair that was in their way, and burst into the crowded Mipedian Cafeteria at the same time with gasps of laughter.

"Hey guys!" Tom panted, holding a stitch in his side as he grinned around at the stunned faces of the Cafeteria's occupants.

"Long time…!" Kaz breathed, doubled over with his hands on his knees, "No see!"

"Kazdan? Thomas?" Tobias pushed through the staring onlookers, eyes wide behind his glasses, "It is." His face broke out into a smile, "They did it. Those irritating, black-cloaked schemers actually did it!"

"This calls for a celebration!" Scotty roared, leaping up to stand on a table, "Light the cooking fires!"

"Turn on the party lights!" Conner leapt up beside him.

"Crank the music!" Scotty pointed dramatically at the karaoke machine.

"Butter the toast!" Conner waved a piece of toasted bread in the air and that broke the silent tension. Everyone laughed.

Matthew skipped over to the karaoke machine and, after a bit of fumbling, managed to turn on some music. Tom and Kaz were hustled over to a table and loaded with food. Laughter and shouting rang above the blaring music. The two boys were bombarded with questions which they ducked as most of it they couldn't answer.

As Kaz set down his glass of milk, he caught a glimpse of someone standing in the doorway to the OverWorld Cafeteria. He nudged Tom in the side and pointed. Tom followed his friend's gesture and nodded slowly. The two slipped away from the yammering crowd and followed the black-clad person into the UnderWorld Cafeteria. The room was empty save for Axel who was standing sentry next to an open Passage of Darkness.

"What's up, Roxas?" Kaz asked, eyeing the Passage with wariness.

"I think it's obvious that the rest of us have left already." The Keyblade Bearer nodded towards the swirling portal behind him, "But Saix wanted me to give you guys a message. He told me to tell you that "you would do well not to speak of us or what happened here to anyone else. Have Tobias Khaos come up with a story that will be circulated. It would be better we were not remembered here." Those were pretty much his exact words."

"Oh," Tom scowled, "Well, that's nice of him to care."

"Hey, hey," Axel unfolded his arms from across his chest and tapped a finger to his temple characteristically, "Lighten up. Got it memorized?"

Kaz gave a snort of laughter and looked up at the two remaining Nobodies with a small smile, "Thanks for the help, guys. See you around." He held his hand out.

Roxas shook it but the smile on his face was a sad one, "No, we…probably won't see you again." He released Kaz and stepped back at the sad expression on the boy's face, "We're going back to our own world and we're locking this path behind us tight."

"Roxas!" Axel cuffed his friend on the back of the head with a smirk, "Didn't you hear what I just said!?"

Roxas sighed, "Fine. Alright. I'm sorry I'm a mood killer." He brushed his dirty golden bangs from his neon blue eyes before turning back to Tom and Kaz, "You two…good luck."

"Uh," Tom swallowed and then nodded once, "Yeah. Thanks. Good luck to you too. I hope you guys find your hearts."

Axel and Roxas shared a look and then the Flurry of the Dancing Flames saluted, turned, and vanished into the Passage of Darkness. Roxas raised his hand and waved. Then he too was gone. The Passage of Darkness folded in on itself and Tom and Kaz were left standing alone in an empty room.

The silence pressed in on them from every direction.

Then Tom spoke in a slow and sad sort of voice, "I feel…like I just lost a very close, best friend." He looked helplessly at Kaz, "And I didn't even know them! Well, not well anyways."

"Yeah, but our Nobodies did." Kaz responded, looking slightly downtrodden, "I hate this feeling; I'm sad to see them go and yet I didn't have anything to do with them!" He stuck his tongue out and wrapped his arms around his stomach, "It's making me sick…"

"Ah, so this is where you two have been hiding." The boys turned around and found Tobias and his brothers standing in the doorway to the Danian Cafeteria. Izaak stepped forward and held his hand out, "They've gone. There's nothing you can do about that. Live in the now, you two. Come on, let's rejoin the party!"

"Tomorrow the tour restarts! You get to sleep in your cabins tonight!" Scotty and Conner put in. Both of them were leaning on Leon's head and the youngest Khaos brother looked none too happy about it.

"Sweet!" Kaz bounced towards the door and looked back at his best friend with a genuine grin, "Let's go, Tom!"

"Alright, but I just have one question for Mr. Tobias." Tom said as he walked forward.

"And what's that?" Tobias asked with an air about him that said he already knew.

"Which Codemaster are you?"

"Ah, but Thomas," The oldest Khaos brother quirked an eyebrow as Kaz stared at his best friend, "That would be telling secrets." Then he knelt down and whispered just loud enough so that Kaz could hear as well, "Codemaster Crullen."

Tom pumped a fist in the air, "I _knew_ it!"

"And what gave it away?" Tobias asked as he, Tom, and Kaz trailed after the other Khaos brothers back into the Mipedian Cafeteria.

"You talk to people the same way you do in Chaotic." Tom said.

"I never was much of an actor..." Tobias tugged his goatee.

"So, what're we going to do now?" Kaz asked, plopping down into a vacant seat.

"There's an awfully big mess that needs to be cleaned up." Leon had come back from the breakfast bar with two plates loaded with toast, eggs, bacon, and balancing two glasses of orange juice, "Eat, you two look starved."

"We already ate." Tom grumbled but started nibbling on a piece of toast anyway. Kaz pushed the eggs around the plate for a little bit and then pushed it all away.

"You're going to open Chaotic back up, aren't you?" He said and it seemed the whole room heard him because everyone stopped talking and turned around to look. Even Tom set down his food.

"After we assess the damage." Joseph replied.

"There's no _way_ we're keeping it closed!" Izaak stated, tossing his head to get his bangs from his face, "Deprive you guys of the greatest adventure of all!? No way!"

Kaz sighed in relief and slumped down in his seat, resting his arms across his stomach with a pleasant smile on his face. Everything was turning out dandy. He suddenly jumped as someone's cell phone went off with a series of loud beeps. Joseph reached into his pocket and pulled out his black phone, flicking it open so that the Chaotic symbol flashed in the overhead lights.

"Yes?" He paused and then hit a button on the side, "Go ahead, you're on speaker."

"_I've unlocked all the doors in the building." _Said a voice that the teenagers recognized as Greg, the Living Quarters Security Man, _"And Mr. Tobias, sir, you'd better come outside and see this. Someone's waiting for you."_

"Outside…" Soyokaze breathed. Then he spun and ran for the doors. A crowd of shouting teens and adults alike followed him, shoving their way towards the open air of the lower floors. Tom looked at Kaz and they both grinned, joining the race.

The front doors exploded open as the flood of people burst through them and into the pure sunshine streaming above the trees and mountains. Tom put his face to the wind and closed his eyes, smiling as it tossed his jet black bangs. Someone yanked his arm and he looked around to see Kaz tugging at him and pointing towards the round-about where the rest of the teenagers were chasing each other and laughing. Tom lunged at his best friend and Kaz skipped backwards, mouth open in ecstasy as he ran, egging Tom to chase him.

Tobias, standing with his hands in his pockets in a sunlit portion of the grassy area surrounding his company's building, twitched slightly as someone put their arms around his waist. He turned, tracing his fingers up their arms as he went, and faced his wife. Willy opened her mouth to speak but Tobias was a step ahead. He leaned forward and kissed her deeply. He could hear some of his brothers whooping and cheering in the background but he ignored them. This was _his_ moment.

Across the round-about, Kaz had flopped onto his back in the grass, spread eagle and half panting, half laughing. Tom sat beside him, gasping for air. Kaz closed his eyes, feeling the warm sunlight on his skin, and let out a very loud, "HA!"

Tom lay back, tucking his hands behind his head. He stared up at the blue sky, the giant, fluffy clouds looking like half-melted marshmallows against the azure blaze of the sky.

"This is the best summer vacation _ever_!" He heard Kaz say from beside him, "Sarah and Peyton are gonna _die_ when they hear about this!"

"Totally!" Tom rolled over onto his side so he could talk to his friend better, "And just imagine, we're getting a bunch of rare scans out of this too!"

"Oh yeah!" The friends high-fived, "Codemasters, here we come!"

"I heard that!" Leon shouted and the two broke out in laughter.

Everything was back to normal; Chaotic was being fixed up, Perim was safe—well, as safe as Perim ever would be—, and Khaos Corporation was no longer under threat.

Things were perfect.

At least for the moment.

* * *

It's not over, yet.

Let me repeat myself unless you guys didn't catch that: **It's. Not. Over.**

That's right. There's still some things that need to be finished off, conclusions that will lead somewhere else, and an endings that have to be written. Keep an eye on those last five words and remember the name of the very first chapter. Hey, it holds true, doesn't it?

Anyway, I just want to thank everyone who read this and left me reviews! It means a ton more than I can express! Thank you to:

_UnderwaterMaiden, Courtny911, Starryblossoms, Syuveil, and CosmosDragon. _

All of you guys rock!

So stick around as we clean up the loose ends. As usual, thank you so much for reading, please leave a review, and—for the last time—see you guys around! Be on the lookout for "Nice To Be Loved!" Coming soon! See ya'!


	30. Epilogue, Part One

**Epilogue-Part One

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**

_Raz__: "Lili! A deranged madman is building a fleet of psycho-death tanks, powered by the brains of our fellow campers, to take over the world! And there's no one here to stop him! Except for you and me!"_

_Lili__: "OH MY GOD! Let's make out!" –From Tim Scahfer's _Psychonauts

* * *

Kaz dropped his bags and suitcase on the floor just inside his door, took a deep breath, ran forward, and dived head first into the bottom bunk of his bunk bed with a wild yell. Sure, hanging around Khaos Corporation for the summer had been a blast but it was always nice to come home and find everything exactly the way you'd left it.

Kaz rolled over onto his back on the now rumpled bed sheets and tugged his Code Scanner from his pocket. He stared into its blank screen, seeing his reflection on the black surface. He made a face at himself and sat up. The boy cast his gaze around his room, taking in everything; his Chaotic posters, his desk, his laptop, the weird twisty lamp next to his desk that his mom said looked like a metallic plant, his discarded luggage, and the shelf of books.

Ah, home, sweet, home.

Kaz grinned and held a finger over the button on his Code Scanner, "Time to go tease Sarah and Peyton!"

* * *

-Two weeks later…-

* * *

Tom sighed as the Code spiraled away from him, returning him once more to his human appearance. Fighting as Maxxor always gave him an adrenaline rush. He looked across the Drome at his opponent who looked slightly downtrodden. Just another win in the bag.

Since the return of Chaotic, Drome challenges had been popping up left and right. People were anxious to get their records just in case of another emergency. Sarah had said the whole thing would die out sooner or later.

_Kaz's prediction came true._ Tom thought as he exited the Drome and headed back for the Port Court, _Sarah and Peyton were pretty jealous about us spending the summer at Khaos Corporation. _

The two had pressed Tom and Kaz for details on the whole thing. Tom had almost slipped up once or twice and told them about the Heartless or the Nobodies but he'd always caught himself. Kaz had almost spilled the beans a couple of times as well.

It was hard on the both of them. Sometimes they would remember things they'd never done or felt the sudden urge to fight. But those feelings were fading fast. The last traces of their Heartless and Nobodies were vanishing back into Tom Majors and Kaz Kalinkas.

_It's better this way,_ Tom reminded himself, _They were never supposed to exist in the first place._

"Hey, MajorT, sweet match, my man!" Peyton congratulated him with a high-five, "Nice moves as Maxxor!"

"That was great, Tom!" Kaz added, setting down the milkshake he'd been drinking, "That new Battlegear from Khaos Corp really helped!"

"I'll say!" Sarah agreed as Tom took a seat, "I wanna know where I can get _me_ one of those!"

"Thanks guys!" Tom ran a hand through his hair and settled back in his seat, "Whew! I think I'm going to have to refuse the next challenge that comes my way! I'm exhausted!"

"Yeah," Sarah put her chin in her hands, propping her elbows on the table, "Anyone who went to Khaos Corporation's being targeted for Drome matches."

"At this rate, no one is gonna wanna challenge people like _us_!" Peyton indicated himself and Sarah. Sarah rolled her eyes.

"Aw, lighten up, Peyton!" Kaz smiled and raised a hand, tapping one finger to the side of his head, "Got it memorized?"

"Huh?" Peyton and Sarah both blinked at him.

Kaz looked at Tom…and they both laughed.


	31. Epilogue, Part Two

**Epilogue-Part Two

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**

"_This world has been connected. Tied…to the darkness. Soon to be completely eclipsed. There is so very much to learn. You understand so little. A meaningless effort. One who knows nothing can understand nothing." –Ansem, Kingdom Hearts

* * *

  
_

A million worlds away, a boy with ruffled yet spiky golden hair stood in the middle of a white room. His brilliant blue eyes were sad as he stared up at the open, flower-like pod before him and the figure floating inside it.

"Why? I wasn't supposed to feel anything…" He said softly, "Yet I felt jealous of them." He rubbed his eyes furiously, "Why do these images I don't know keep playing over and over again in my head?"

The boy suddenly started and blinked, "Am I imagining things? I thought I heard a train…"

He stared down at his hands. They were translucent, disappearing slowly, "It was real to me." He choked out. Then he looked back up at the person in the pod.

His voice echoed in the silence, strained by tears and sorrow and yet somehow there was a slight note of happiness that rang in its depths,

"Sora…you're lucky. Looks like my summer vacation is…over…"


	32. Epilogue, Part Three

**Epilogue-Part Three

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**

"_You cannot simultaneously prevent and prepare for war."__-Albert Einstein

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_

-Two months after the events at Khaos Corporation…-

* * *

"T-Tobias! Tobias!" Joseph barreled into his older brother's office, waving a long roll of paper in his hand and looking frantic. And Joseph never looked frantic, "Tobias! The door's open! Someone opened it!"

The eldest Khaos brother raised an eyebrow and looked past Joseph at the open door of the office. Then he looked back at his younger sibling with a skeptical and yet humored expression.

"Not _that_ door!" Joseph yelled, half in anger and half in panic, "The Doors of the Deep Mines! Somehow they're open and now _they're_ out and about!"

Tobias swore loudly, standing up so fast he sent his swivel chair flying, and dashed out of his office, Joseph hot on his heels.

"When did you find out!?" He demanded, heading straight for the emergency elevator.

"Just a few minutes ago! As soon as I saw the code I brought it to you!" Joseph ran a hand through his hair in an agitated fashion, "My gosh, I can't believe this! Who would be stupid enough to open that door!?"

Tobias didn't answer, just slammed his finger into the down button and waited. The elevator "dinged" and the doors slid open. The two brothers stepped in and Tobias hit the button for the floor he desired. The elevator jolted slightly and then started its descent. Tobias drummed his fingers on his arm, which he had crossed across his chest, and Joseph fidgeted nervously.

"Joseph," The oldest brother finally said, cutting the silence, "Have they _done_ anything?"

"D-done anything?" Joseph unrolled the paper and glanced down it, eyes traveling over string after string after string of numbers and letters that would have looked like gibberish to the untrained eye, "No…actually, no, I don't…think they have…"

"No players are harmed?"

"No…"

"You're absolutely sure?"

"Positive." Joseph was falling back into business mode.

"Then we have nothing to worry about at the moment." Tobias walked out of the elevator as it halted and the doors opened once more, "We'll keep an eye on things. If the history of Perim indicates anything it's that if the tribes sense a common threat they will do everything in their power to eliminate it."

"And the Cothica?" Joseph fell into step beside him.

"Not our business and if the players are wise they will remain away from it as well." Tobias paused outside a door, resting his hand on the handle, "I keep in contact with Thomas and Kazdan. If anything should happen, anything at all, I'm sure they'll let us know."

"You trust them? They're a couple of kids!"

Tobias smiled, "I hold them in good faith." He answered and opened the door, closing it behind him. Joseph remained out in the hall, staring at the door. Then he looked down at the paper flooded with code in his hands.

"But if massive war breaks out in Perim, brother, what then?" Joseph crumbled the paper in his fists, "A person can do the cruelest things on the battlefield. If the Creatures of Perim start losing, who do you think will take the brunt of their anger? The M'Arrilians, whom they stand little chance against…or the Chaotic players, who are always within their reach?"

_**Fin**_


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